Politics & Government

Governor Patrick Nominates Newton Resident for Juvenile Court Judgeship

Governor Deval Patrick announced three judicial nominations Wednesday afternoon.

Updated Feb. 16

Governor Deval Patrick has nominated Newton resident Gloria Tan as an associate justice of the Middlesex County Juvenile Court, according to a press release issued Wednesday by Patrick's office. 

Tan currently serves as the deputy director of the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School, the press release said. She is a member of the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights.

Find out what's happening in Newtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I am honored to appoint these distinguished attorneys to serve on the trial courts,” Patrick said in the press release. “They will bring to the bench extraordinary legal expertise, excellent judicial temperament and demonstrated commitment to the fair administration of justice.  I thank them for their willingness to serve the Commonwealth as members of the judiciary.”

Tan, who is the wife of Newton Ward 6 Alderman-at-Large Greg Schwartz, started out as an attorney in the Boston trial unit and in the Youth Advocacy Project. She then moved on to be a clinical instructor at Harvard Law School, where she teaches and supervises law students who represent indigent adult and juvenile clients in criminal and delinquency cases, the press release said. 

Find out what's happening in Newtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tan will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Margaret S. Feary.

For more information, read the full press release from Gov. Patrick's office below:

GOVERNOR PATRICK ANNOUNCES THREE JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS

BOSTON – Wednesday, February 13, 2013 – Governor Patrick today announced three judicial nominations: Robert L. Ullmann as an Associate Justice of the Superior Court; Gloria Y. Tan as an Associate Justice of the Juvenile Court, Middlesex County Division; and Jonathan R. Tynes as an Associate Justice of the Boston Municipal Court, Roxbury Division.

“I am honored to appoint these distinguished attorneys to serve on the trial courts,” said Governor Patrick. “They will bring to the bench extraordinary legal expertise, excellent judicial temperament and demonstrated commitment to the fair administration of justice.  I thank them for their willingness to serve the Commonwealth as members of the judiciary.”

Robert Ullmann has been a partner at Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP in Boston since 1995, handling criminal litigation and complex civil matters. His legal career began in 1981 with a clerkship at the New Jersey Supreme Court. After two years in private practice in New York City and two years in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Ullmann joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston in 1987. There he served as Chief of the Criminal Division and as First Assistant U.S. Attorney. In 2008, he was appointed by Judge Mark Wolf to chair a committee of prosecutors and defense attorneys to recommend improvements to the local rules for federal criminal investigations. Ullmann is an adjunct professor of criminal procedure at Boston College Law School. He is a graduate of Harvard College (A.B. magna cum laude, 1977) and Harvard Law School (J.D., 1981).  He resides in Brookline. If confirmed, Ullmann will fill the vacancy on the Superior Court created by the appointment of the Honorable Geraldine S. Hines to the Appeals Court.

Gloria Tan has served as the Deputy Director of the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School since 2011. She began her legal career at the Committee for Public Counsel Services, where she worked as an attorney in the Boston trial unit from 1998 to 1999 and in the Youth Advocacy Project from 1999 to 2003. Tan has been a clinical instructor at Harvard Law School since 2003, teaching and supervising law students who represent indigent adult and juvenile clients in criminal and delinquency cases and administrative hearings. She is a member of the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and the Board of Directors of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. Tan is a graduate of Rice University (B.A. magna cum laude, 1995) and Yale Law School (J.D., 1998). She resides in Newton. Tan is slated to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Margaret S. Feary.

Jonathan Tynes serves as the Chief Assistant District Attorney in the Roxbury Division of the Boston Municipal Court, a position he has held since 2006. He began his career in the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office in 1999 as a prosecutor in the Boston Municipal Court, and also worked as a member of the Homicide Response Team and the Superior Court General Felony Unit. From 2004 to 2006, Tynes worked as an Assistant City Solicitor in Cambridge, where he handled civil litigation matters. He is an active community member, serving as an assistant football coach at Randolph High School and as a volunteer for youth sports, Special Olympics and a youth anti-violence program. In 2009, Tynes received the Brian Honan Award for Excellence in the Courtroom and the Community. He is a graduate of Mount Ida College (B.A. summa cum laude, 1994) and Northeastern University School of Law (J.D., 1997). He resides in Holbrook. If confirmed, Tynes will fill the vacancy on the BMC created by the retirement of the Honorable Edward R. Redd.  



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here