Sydney Hanlon at a glance
- Current role
- Former Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Massachusetts · State
- Judicial service
- Former
Sydney Hanlon
Former Judge · Massachusetts Appeals Court
Biography
Professional career
- Judge, Massachusetts Appeals Court, 2009-present
- Served until mandatory retirement in 2020, then held the role of a recall justice until 2021
- Associate Justice Sydney Hanlon served on the Massachusetts Appeals Court from 2009 to 2020, appointed by Governor Deval Patrick, and later acted as a recall justice in 2020–2021
- 1990: Appointed to the Dorchester District Court by Governor Michael Dukakis; became First Justice in 1994
- After law school, she served as an assistant district attorney in Norfolk County, leading the Sexual Assault Unit from 1977 to 1982
Education
- B.A. from Brown University in 1972 and her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1975.
Additional information
- In 2009, Governor Deval Patrick appointed Hanlon to the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the state’s intermediate appellate court.
- In her 2009 appointment speech, Hanlon expressed gratitude to Governor Patrick, her family, friends, and the Dorchester Court community, emphasizing the importance of fair, daily judicial work despite resource challenges
- Judge, 2008-2008
- She chaired the District Court Domestic Violence Committee (1992) and served on the District Court Education Committee (1992–2003), later chairing the Boston Municipal Court Education Committee
- Hanlon was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1950.
- She also participated in domestic violence training in Russia and led judicial oversight projects
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 authorizationSupreme Judicial Court Rule 1:19: Electronic access to the courts ↗
Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Massachusetts Appeals Court current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Massachusetts Appeals Court current judicial profile ↗Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:19: Electronic access to the courts
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:19: Electronic access to the courts ↗CourtListener judicial biographical directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View CourtListener judicial biographical directory ↗Sydney Hanlon - Ballotpedia
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 2, 2026
View Sydney Hanlon - Ballotpedia ↗Appeals Court Justices
Massachusetts Reconciliation source · HTML · Source checked October 6, 2026
View Appeals Court Justices ↗