Governor Healey Nominates Judges to District Court and Boston Municipal Court

Boston - On December 5, 2024, Governor Maura Healey nominated Connor Barusch, Nicholas Brandt and Dana Pierce to serve as Associate Justices of the Boston Municipal Court, and Hilary McCamic to serve as an Associate Justice of the District Court. The nominees will now be sent to the Governor’s Council for confirmation. If confirmed, all vacancies on the Boston Municipal Court will be filled.

“I’m proud to nominate these four attorneys who will all bring significant experience and expertise to the bench and ensure that their courts serve the best interests of our state,” said Governor Healey.  

“I am excited to work with the Governor’s Council to move these nominees forward and continue to strengthen the courts throughout Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.  

The Boston Municipal Court Department serves the City of Boston, handling criminal and civil matters while maintaining a commitment to the rule of law, and protecting human dignity through respect, compassion, correction and the fair resolution of cases.  

The Boston Municipal Court Department has 30 judges in eight court divisions in Brighton, Central (downtown), Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, South Boston and West Roxbury. The Boston Municipal Court also has jurisdiction to review appeals of decisions made by some government agencies on issues such as unemployment compensation and firearms licensing.  

Governor Healey has already nominated three attorneys to the Boston Municipal Court: Rebeca G. Figueroa, Vanessa Vélez, and Steven S. Kim.

For more information about the Boston Municipal Court, visit its homepage.   

The District Court Department hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence of up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties, all misdemeanors, and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. In civil matters, the District Court hears cases in which the damages are not likely to be more than $50,000 and small claims cases up to $7,000. The District Court is located in 62 courts across the state. 

Governor Healey has already nominated 13 attorneys to the District Court: Jerald Parisella, Heath Antonio, Leo Fama, Francis V. Kenneally, Courtney C. Linnehan, Marjorie P. Tynes, Sarah Kennedy, Edward Krippendorf, Frederick DeCubellis, Gregory Teran, Amanda Ward, Stuart Hurowitz and Polly Phillips. 

For more information about the District Court, visit their homepage.

About the Nominees: 

Connor Barusch currently serves as the Director of Criminal Defense Training at the Committee of Public Counsel Services (CPCS) where they oversee the training and material development throughout the office. Prior to this, Attorney Barusch was the Trial Attorney at CPCS where they represented clients throughout Boston and Roxbury and later served as a Training Attorney where they organized and coached at numerous trainings, including both short webinars and multi-week trainings. Attorney Barusch has also served as a faculty member at the National Criminal Defense College since 2021, and previously clerked for the Honorable Justice Duffly, Massachusetts Appeals Court. Attorney Barusch is a Founding Advocate for the Massachusetts Transgender Legal Advocates and a member of the Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association. They have a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College and a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law.

Nick Brandt currently serves as a Deputy Legal Counsel in the Administrative Office of the District Court, where he advises the Chief Justice, judges, and Clerk-Magistrates on legal and policy matters, develops educational programming, and is a staff member of the District Court Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders and the District Court Criminal Committee. Previously, Attorney Brandt served as a Deputy Legal Counsel in the Office of Governor Charlie Baker, where he advised the Governor and Lieutenant Governor and their staff on public safety and education issues, including executive clemency, police reform, and pandemic-related impacts on prisons and public schools. Prior to that, Attorney Brandt was an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County, first as a trial attorney with cases in the Boston Municipal, District, Juvenile, and Superior Courts, and then as an appellate attorney appearing before the Appeals Court and the Supreme Judicial Court. Attorney Brandt began his legal career as a law clerk to the justices of the Superior Court. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Williams College and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.

Dana Pierce is the Director of Externships at Harvard Law School where she leads the placement process for all clinical externship students while also providing general clinical program advising to students and ensuring that all externship placements comply with ABA standards. Before this, Attorney Pierce served as an Assistant District Attorney, first in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and later in the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.  At the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Attorney Pierce served as the Chief of the District and Municipal Courts, and at the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, she served as the Chief of the District Courts.  In both positions she oversaw the prosecution of all District Court and Juvenile cases countywide and served as an advisor to the District Attorney on caselaw updates and personnel matters. Attorney Pierce has also served as Vice President and Counsel to State Street Bank and Trust Company, where she managed the resolution of legal, operational, and policy related inquiries for several international entities.  She holds a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern University and a Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law.  

Hilary McCamic has served as a Staff Attorney with the Committee for Public Counsel Services where she has represented indigent criminal defendants in the Lawrence Public Defender office since 2012. Attorney McCamic is responsible for handling serious criminal matters in the District and Superior Courts. Prior to this, Attorney McCamic owned a solo private practice focused exclusively on criminal defense, where she handled a caseload of twenty-five to forty cases including life felonies and aggravated felonies.  While in private practice, she also served as an Essex County Bar Advocate representing indigent clients in the District and Superior Courts.  She has worked as a criminal defense attorney since 2003. Attorney McCamic holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Elmira College, a Master of Science in Film from Boston University and a Juris Doctor from the University of New Hampshire. For the last several years, she has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Lawrence Bar Association.