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

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey ceremonially swore in Gloria Tan and Chauncey Wood as associate justices of the Massachusetts Court of Appeals at a ceremony held at the John Adams Courthouse on Saturday.

The event brought together members of the state judiciary, federal judges, representatives of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and family members as speakers praised the appointees’ records and public-service backgrounds. "Diversity is good. Diversity in all forms is good," Governor Healey said during remarks recognizing the two new justices.

The appointments place two jurists with different professional backgrounds on the intermediate appellate court. Gloria Tan, who served nearly 11 years on the juvenile court and was the first justice of the Middlesex County Juvenile Court for five years, was described by Dana M. Gershengorn, chief justice of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court, as a judge who follows the law "where it leads and not the other way around." Gershengorn said Tan read "every one" of thousands of text messages in a juvenile harassment case, citing that diligence as an example of her commitment to evidence and fairness.

Speakers said Tan brings sustained juvenile-court experience to the appeals court and that her rulings have been informed by empathy for vulnerable people. "Judge Tan's dedication to the rule of law ... made her the standard that the rest of us could only strive to meet," Gershengorn said.

Chauncey Wood was praised by colleagues from the criminal-defense bar for a decades-long career representing indigent defendants and handling complex post-conviction litigation. Elizabeth Dembitzer, director of the private counsel division of criminal appeals for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, said Wood has litigated "more than 100 serious criminal post-conviction cases" and has secured reversals in multiple murder convictions by challenging evidence and raising claims such as Brady violations.

Katie Naples Mitchell, director of the Criminal Justice Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School, noted Wood’s amicus and coalition work, saying it helped shape appellate practice on issues including racial profiling and police stops. Several speakers said Wood’s trial- and appellate-level experience will inform his work on the appeals court.

Both new justices thanked their nominators, mentors, colleagues and families. Gloria Tan said she was "truly appreciative" of the support she received through the nomination process and said she will carry the perspectives of juvenile- and trial-court participants into appellate deliberations. Chauncey Wood said he would "strive to carry out that duty with honor and courage and provide equal justice to everyone who comes before our court."

The ceremony included remarks from Chief Justice Amy Lynn Blake of the Appeals Court and First Justice Kerri O'Hearn of the Essex County Juvenile Court, among others. Organizers invited attendees to a reception following the ceremony.

The swearing-in was ceremonial; speakers repeatedly thanked the governor, lieutenant governor and the judicial nominating and confirmation process that led to the appointments. The transcript of the event records praise, personal anecdotes and statements of professional qualifications rather than debate or formal recorded votes at the ceremony.

While the ceremony highlighted each new justice’s record and the judicial community’s support, speakers also emphasized the real-life consequences of appellate decisions: speakers asked incoming judges to remember the human impacts of rulings, particularly for young people, defendants and families who appear in trial courts.