--- title: "Sarah M. Joss | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sarah-m-joss" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Sarah M. Joss Massachusetts District Court · Associate Justice ## Profile - Court: Massachusetts District Court - State: Massachusetts - Role: Associate Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Associate Justice, Massachusetts District Court, appointed 2022 - Assistant Attorney General in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (2003–2014) ### Education - Sarah Joss began her legal career in 1996 as a legal assistant in the litigation department of Foley Hoag, LLP, and became an associate at the firm in 2001 after earning her Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School ### Additional information - handling defensive litigation for state agencies across a wide range of cases, including torts and civil rights matters Since 2014, Joss has worked in the Massachusetts Probation Department, where she currently serves as Deputy Commissioner for Legal Services and Legal Counsel, advising on legal matters and departmental policies - Nominated to Massachusetts Superior Court June 3, 2026 - Beyond her professional career, she is actively involved in the community as the Clerk and Chair of the Scholarship Committee for the Ipswich Music, Art and Drama Association (IMADA), In January 2022, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Sarah Joss to fill a vacancy at the Haverhill District Court, a position previously held by Judge Patricia Dowling - Deputy Commissioner for Legal Services and Legal Counsel, Massachusetts Probation Service - Associate Justice of the Massachusetts District Court after prior public-service roles with the Massachusetts Probation Service and the Attorney General’s Office ## 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 ### remote hearings Scope: courtwide Massachusetts District Court lists specified non-evidentiary, scheduling, status, civil-management, and other proceedings that may be held remotely unless the presiding judge or clerk-magistrate orders otherwise. Evidence excerpt: The following events may be held remotely unless otherwise ordered by a judge or clerk-magistrate [Joint Standing Order 1-26: Order on remote court hearings](https://www.mass.gov/districtmunicipal-court-rules/joint-standing-order-1-26-order-on-remote-court-hearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote recording Scope: courtwide Photographing, recording, or electronically transmitting a Massachusetts District Court remote or hybrid hearing requires prior authorization from the supervising judge or clerk-magistrate. Evidence excerpt: No person shall take any photographs, or make any recording or transmission by electronic means, of a remote or hybrid court hearing, without prior authorization from the judge or clerk magistrate [Joint Standing Order 1-26: Order on remote court hearings](https://www.mass.gov/districtmunicipal-court-rules/joint-standing-order-1-26-order-on-remote-court-hearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### 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.mass.gov/info-details/district-court-judges) - [Official roster](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/district-court-judges) - [Massachusetts Court System official judicial roster](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/district-court-judges) - [Joint Standing Order 1-26: Order on remote court hearings](https://www.mass.gov/districtmunicipal-court-rules/joint-standing-order-1-26-order-on-remote-court-hearings) - [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) - [Governor Healey Nominates Judge Sarah Joss to Superior Court](https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-healey-nominates-judge-sarah-joss-to-superior-court) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sarah-m-joss", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sarah-m-joss", "name": "Sarah M. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.mass.gov/supreme-judicial-court-rules/supreme-judicial-court-rule-119-electronic-access-to-the-courts). Collected 2026-07-26.