--- title: "Ralph D. Gants | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ralph-d-gants-4733" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Ralph D. Gants Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court - State: Massachusetts - Role: Judge - Service status: former - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## 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 ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### recording and photography Scope: statewide In Massachusetts courts, photography, recording, or electronic transmission in a courtroom or related judicial space requires prior authorization from the judge or magistrate supervising that place, subject to Rule 1:19's separate provisions for registered news media. Evidence excerpt: No person shall take any photographs, or make any recording or transmission by electronic means, in any courtroom, hearing room, office, chambers or lobby of a judge or magistrate without prior authorization [Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:19: Electronic access to the courts](https://www.mass.gov/supreme-judicial-court-rules/supreme-judicial-court-rule-119-electronic-access-to-the-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4733/ralph-d-gants/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4733/ralph-d-gants/) - [Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4733/ralph-d-gants/) - [Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:19: Electronic access to the courts](https://www.mass.gov/supreme-judicial-court-rules/supreme-judicial-court-rule-119-electronic-access-to-the-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4733/ralph-d-gants/) - [A tireless advocate for access to justice, Ralph D. Gants ’80 (1954-2020) - Harvard Law School | Harvard Law School](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/in-memoriam-ralph-d-gants-80-a-tireless-advocate-for-access-to-justice-1954-2020) - [Wikidata: Ralph Gants](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7287525) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ralph-d-gants-4733", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ralph-d-gants-4733", "name": "Ralph D. Gants | KnowJudges", "description": "Ralph D. Gants, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ralph-d-gants-4733#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/ralph-d-gants-4733#judge", "name": "Ralph D. 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