Governor Healey Nominates Judge Emily Karstetter and Thomas Townsend to the Superior Court

 Governor Healey Nominates Judge Emily Karstetter and Thomas Townsend to the Superior Court   

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey today nominated Judge Emily Karstetter and Thomas Townsend to serve as Associate Justices of the Superior Court. The nominees will now be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation. 

“Both of these nominees have dedicated their legal careers to serving the people of Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey.  “Judge Karstetter and Attorney Townsend both represent the best of public service, and I trust that they will be guided by integrity and the rule of law as Associate Justices of the Superior Court.” 

“I am excited to work with the Governor’s Council to advance these nominees, who have decades of valuable experience in our courtrooms,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.  

The Superior Court is a trial court of general jurisdiction for Massachusetts and is committed to delivering high quality justice in a timely and fair manner in accordance with the rule of law. The Court's 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 counties. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000 and in matters where equitable relief is sought. It also has original jurisdiction in actions including labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, exclusive authority to convene medical malpractice tribunals, appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative proceedings, and may hold sittings for naturalization in any city or town. The Superior Court also has exclusive original jurisdiction of first-degree murder cases and original jurisdiction of all other crimes. 

For more information about the Superior Court, visit its homepage. Governor Healey has previously nominated sixteen judges to the Superior Court: Tracy Duncan, John Fraser, Ira Gant, Keren Goldenberg, Julie Green, Charles W. Groce, Sarah Hamilton, Adam Hornstine, Sarah G. Kim, Amy Karangekis, Matthew Nestor, Michael Pineault, Adam Sisitsky, Deepika Shukla and Jeffrey Trapani and Asha White. 

About the Nominees: 

The Honorable Emily Karstetter has served as a District Court judge since her appointment in 2012 and has served as the First Justice of the Malden District Court for the last six. Judge Karstetter is responsible for managing the court's calendar, policies and direction while presiding over criminal and civil cases and has served on numerous District Court committees and as a mentor to several new judges. In 2017, she was appointed as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division of the District Court. She has served as the Presiding Justice of the Northern District of the Appellate Division of the District Court since 2023. Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Karstetter maintained a solo practice for 14 years focused primarily on criminal defense and employment discrimination. Before opening her own practice, she spent eight years at a small firm, where her practice focused on insurance defense litigation, criminal defense, and business disputes.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Wellesley College and a Juris Doctor from New England School of Law.   

Attorney Thomas Townsend of Longmeadow has been the Chief of the Appellate Division of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office since 2011.  An Abington native, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, cum laude, in 1994, and from the Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington, magna cum laude, in 1997.  He clerked for the Honorable Marc R. Kellams, a Circuit Court judge in Indiana, before joining the Hampden County District Attorney’s office.  Over his 28-year career, Attorney Townsend has argued 46 times in the Supreme Judicial Court – including 15 first-degree murder cases – and has handled over 250 cases in the Appeals Court, the vast majority of which originated in the Superior Court.  He has tried 22 cases to verdict in the Superior Court, either as lead counsel or co-counsel.  Attorney Townsend is a frequent presenter and contributor to continuing legal education, including a chapter in the Superior Court Practice series.  He has also served as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Connecticut School of Law.