Governor Healey Nominates Judges to Serve on Juvenile Court and Boston Municipal Court

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:    

March 11, 2026 

  

CONTACT:   

Jacqueline Manning, jacqui.manning@mass.gov, 617-823-8307 

 

 

Governor Healey Nominates Judges to Serve on Juvenile Court and Boston Municipal Court 

 

BOSTON – Today, Governor Maura Healey nominated Michelle Licciardi to serve as an Associate Justice of the Boston Municipal Court and Kristin Michaud to serve as an Associate Justice of the Juvenile Court. Both nominees will now be considered by the Governor’s Council for confirmation. 

  

“I am proud to nominate Michelle and Kristin to serve as Associate Justices. With decades of legal experience, they bring the knowledge, judgment and steady temperament that our judicial system depends on," said Governor Maura Healey. "I am confident they will approach the bench with integrity and care, and that they will work every day to ensure that justice is administered thoughtfully and fairly for everyone who comes before them." 

  

“I am excited to work with the Governor’s Council to advance these nominees and help ensure that our residents continue to have thoughtful, fair, and highly qualified judges serving on our courts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. 

The mission of the Juvenile Court is to protect children from abuse and neglect, to promote opportunities for children to reside in safe, stable, permanent family environments, to strengthen families, to rehabilitate juveniles, and to protect the public from delinquent and criminal behavior. The Juvenile Court Department has jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters including delinquencies, youthful offender cases, care and protection matters and children requiring assistance cases. It has 42 judges, including the Chief Justice, sitting in over 40 courthouses. For more information about the Juvenile Court, visit its homepage. Governor Healey has previously nominated 13 judges to the Juvenile Court: Jamie Bennett, Jennifer Currie, Andrew Don, Tiffanie Ellis-Niles, Mary Gallant-Cote, Nibal Raheb, Andrew Hoffman, Audrey Murillo, Jeannie Rhinehart, Benjamin Mann, LaKeshia Parker Small, Fabiola White and Karin Wilinski.  

The Boston Municipal Court Department serves the City of Boston and the Town of Winthrop, handling both criminal and civil matters while maintaining a commitment to the rule of law, and protecting human dignity through respect, compassion, correction, and the fair resolution of cases. The Boston Municipal Court Department has 30 judges in 8 court divisions. For more information about the Boston Municipal Court, visit its homepage. Governor Healey has previously nominated six judges to the Boston Municipal Court: Rebeca G. Figueroa, Vanessa Vélez, Steven S. Kim, Connor Barusch, Nicholas Brandt, and Dana Pierce. 

About the Nominees: 

Michelle Licciardi is an experienced trial lawyer who has practiced law in the Commonwealth for over 27 years. For the past 22 years she has run a solo practice focused on criminal defense and a wide array of civil litigation matters. Since 2004, she has also served as a Bar Advocate representing indigent clients in criminal matters in the Juvenile, District, Boston Municipal, Superior, and Appeals Courts. From 2001-2003, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, where she represented the Commonwealth at all stages of criminal prosecution in the District Court. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Suffolk University and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. 

Kristin Michaud has served as an Assistant Clerk Magistrate at the Somerville District Court since July 2021. In this role she conducts probable cause hearings, reviews and issues arrest and search warrants, and presides over small claims, civil motor vehicle infractions, and municipal ordinance matters. She also serves as Chair of the Somerville District Court Education Committee. From 2009-2021, Attorney Michaud was a private attorney and mentor on the Children and Family Law Panel, representing children and parents in care and protection, children requiring assistance, and guardianship proceedings in the Juvenile and Probate and Family Courts, and serving as a Guardian ad Litem in Juvenile Court proceedings. From 2006-2009, Attorney Michaud served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office where she prosecuted a wide range of cases in the District and Juvenile Courts. Prior to earning her law degree, she served for four years as a Victim Witness Advocate at the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, where she assisted victims and witnesses in navigating the complexities of the court system. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fairfield University and Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law.