Dermot Meagher

Dermot James Meagher[2][3] (born October 19, 1940)[1] is an American lawyer and former judge of the Boston Municipal Court. Meagher was the first openly gay judge appointed in Massachusetts.[4][5]

Dermot Meagher
Judge of the Boston Municipal Court
In office
1989–2006
Appointed byMichael Dukakis
Personal details
Born
Dermot James Meagher

(1940-10-19) October 19, 1940
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.[1]
EducationHarvard University (AB)
Boston College (LLB)
Signature

Early life and education

Meagher received an A.B. from Harvard University and an LL.B. from Boston College Law School.[6]

He began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Worcester County, Massachusetts.[7] He was in private practice various times.[8] He was First Assistant Bar Counsel at the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers and was later a volunteer member of the Boston Human Rights Commission.[8] He was a Fellow at the Harvard Law School Center for Criminal Justice which is funded by the Ford Foundation.[8]

Other activities

He is a former member of the board of directors of the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD).[8] He is a founder and member of the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (MLGBA) and was a member the AIDS Action Committee Legal Services Committee.[8] He was also one of the founders of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) of Massachusetts.[8]

Judicial service

Meagher first applied to be considered for a judicial appointment in Massachusetts in 1985.[4] In 1989, Governor Michael Dukakis selected Meagher to serve on the Boston Municipal Court.[4] Meagher was sworn in on May 3, 1989.[4] He retired in 2006.[9]

Personal

Meagher is a recovering alcoholic who achieved sobriety in 1975; he came out of the closet shortly thereafter.[5]

References
  1. Finn, Marie T. (September 2006). The American Bench: Judges of the Nation 2007. Forster Long LLC. ISBN 9780931398544.
  2. Lesbian-gay Law Notes
  3. Boston College Bulletin, Law, 1966
  4. Chuck Colbert, A Judicial Orientation Archived 2011-04-27 at the Wayback Machine, Boston Spirit Magazine (November 18, 2008).
  5. Loren King, Retired Judge Dermot Meagher shares tales from the inner sanctum in his new book, "Judge Sentences.", Provincetown Banner (September 18, 2010).
  6. Judge Profile: Dermot Meagher, Martindale.
  7. University, Harvard (1970). Harvard Alumni Bulletin. Harvard Alumni Association. p. 14.
  8. Meagher, Dermot J. (December 2013). Lyons At The Gate: Further Adventures Of Judge Joe Lyons. CreateSpace. ISBN 9781481953900.
  9. Judge shares ‘Tales from the Bench’
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