Governor Healy ceremonially swears in Gloria Tan and Chauncey Wood to Massachusetts Appeals Court

At a ceremony at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston, Governor Maura Healey ceremonially swore in Gloria Tan and Chauncey Wood as associate justices of the Massachusetts Court of Appeals.

The appointments add two jurists with different professional backgrounds to the appeals court bench: Tan, a longtime juvenile-court judge and former first justice of the Middlesex County Juvenile Court, and Wood, a veteran criminal defense and post-conviction attorney. The event included remarks from Chief Justice Amy Blake of the Court of Appeals, Chief Justice Dana Gershengorn of the Juvenile Court, and several colleagues and former collaborators who described the new justices’ judicial temperaments and bodies of work.

“Today, we are here to celebrate the appointments of Justices Gloria Tan and Chauncey Wood to the appeals court,” Chief Justice Amy Blake said at the ceremony, which brought together members of the state judiciary, the governor’s office and representatives of the defense bar. Blake hosted the event and introduced speakers from across the Massachusetts legal community.

Dana Gershengorn, chief justice of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court, praised Tan’s nearly 11 years on the juvenile court bench and said Tan “exemplified what it means to be a judge of integrity, compassion, and profound understanding of the law.” Gershengorn recounted instances of Tan’s attention to evidence and empathy in cases involving young people, saying, “Judge Tan read every one of those texts. Not a sampling, not the cliff notes version.”

Carrie A. Ahern, first justice of the Essex County Juvenile Court, highlighted Tan’s collaborative reputation and service as first justice in Middlesex County. Governor Maura Healey noted Tan’s background in juvenile law and legal education and said that Tan will bring “a deep understanding of the unique issues that juveniles and young adults and their families face in our court system.”

Speakers who addressed Justice Chauncey Wood emphasized his long career in indigent criminal defense and appellate work. Liz Dembitzer of the Committee for Public Counsel Services said Wood has litigated “more than 100 serious criminal post-conviction cases” and described his career as a model of zealous, client-centered advocacy. Katie Naples Mitchell of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Criminal Justice Policy Program cited Wood’s amicus work and coalition building in influential appellate litigation.

Governor Maura Healey formally asked the nominees to step forward and administered the ceremonial oath: “It is now my honor to ask you to step forward so that I may ceremonially swear in these two remarkable folks as associate justices of the appeals court,” she said. Each justice then recited the oath of office.

Both new justices thanked colleagues, mentors and family. Tan said she will carry the perspective of trial-court experience to the appellate role and described the real-world consequences of appellate decisions for people in the trial courts. Wood said he will “strive to carry out that duty with honor and courage and provide equal justice to everyone who comes before our court.”

The program concluded with an invitation to a reception following the ceremony. The event brought officials from the judiciary, the governor’s office, the judicial nominating commission, the Committee for Public Counsel Services and members of the defense bar into the courtroom for the formal swearing-in.

Notes: The ceremony recorded introductions, speeches and the formal oaths administered by Governor Maura Healey. The transcript documents praise and professional backgrounds for both justices; it does not record any contemporaneous legislative votes or additional administrative approvals at the event itself.