Ralph D. Gants at a glance
- Current role
- Former Judge
- Current assignment
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- Jurisdiction
- Massachusetts · State
- Judicial service
- Former
Ralph D. Gants
Former Judge · Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Biography
Professional career
- Ralph D. Gants (1954–2020) was the 37th Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, appointed in 2014 by Governor Deval Patrick, and previously held the role of an Associate Justice since 2009
- Judge, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 2009-present
- Associate Justice, Massachusetts Superior Court (1997–2009), appointed by Governor Bill Weld
- 2008: Administrative Justice of the Superior Court’s Business Litigation Session
- He held the role of Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts (1983–1991), leading the Public Corruption Division
- Began as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Eugene H. Nickerson and later as Special Assistant to FBI Director William H. Webster
- Strong advocate for criminal justice reform and opposed mandatory minimum sentences, particularly for drug offenses, citing racial disparities
Education
- J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1980, serving as notes editor of the Harvard Law Review
- Harvard University — J.D.
- Harvard Law School, where he was notes editor of the Harvard Law Review — J.D.
Additional information
- Practitioner, 2008-2008
- legis, 2008-2008
- In 1991, he joined Palmer & Dodge LLP in Boston, specializing in white-collar defense, complex litigation, and employment law
- Born September 29, 1954 in New Rochelle, New York, Gants obtained a B.A. summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard College in 1976, followed by a Diploma in Criminology from Cambridge University in 1977.
- Date of birth: 1954-01-01
- He was co-chair of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission and chair of its Standing Committee on Model Jury Instructions on Homicide
- Birth place: New Rochelle
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
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Sources
Identity source checked August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
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Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
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