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 by | Michael Dukakis |
Personal details | |
Born | Dermot James Meagher October 19, 1940 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.[1] |
Education | Harvard 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 received a fellowship in Criminal Justice at Harvard Law school for 1969-1970 and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard in 1980.
Legal career
He began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney in Worcester County, Massachusetts.[7] He was in private practice various times.He ran the Percentage Deposit Bail Project in the early 1970s, which reformed the Bail system, effectively eliminating Bail bondsmen in Massachusetts. He was First Assistant Bar Counsel at the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers and a volunteer member of the Boston Human Rights Commission.[8] In 1969-70 he was a Fellow at the Harvard Law School Center for Criminal Justice which was funded by the Ford Foundation where he became concerned with Bail and other forms of Pretrial Release. .[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]
Works
- Brenner, Joseph H.; Coles, Robert; Meagher, Dermot (1970). Drugs & Youth: Medical, Psychiatric, and Legal Facts. ISBN 978-0-87140-501-2.
- Meagher, Dermot (2010). Judge Sentences. ISBN 1-55553-715-4.
- Meagher, Dermot (2012). Lyons and Tigers and Bears. ISBN 0-615-55911-5.
- Meagher, Dermot (2013). Lyons at the Gate: Further Adventures of Judge Joe Lyons. ISBN 1-4819-5390-7.
- Meagher, Dermot (2014). A Moth to the Flame. ISBN 1-5027-0807-8.
- Meagher, Dermot (2015). Provincetown Drawings. ISBN 1-5086-3338-X.
- Meagher, Dermot (2016). Naked. ISBN 1-5232-0170-3.
References
- Finn, Marie T. (September 2006). The American Bench: Judges of the Nation 2007. Forster Long LLC. ISBN 9780931398544.
- Lesbian-gay Law Notes
- Boston College Bulletin, Law, 1966
- Chuck Colbert, A Judicial Orientation Archived 2011-04-27 at the Wayback Machine, Boston Spirit Magazine (November 18, 2008).
- Loren King, Retired Judge Dermot Meagher shares tales from the inner sanctum in his new book, "Judge Sentences." Archived 2010-09-21 at the Wayback Machine, Provincetown Banner (September 18, 2010).
- Judge Profile: Dermot Meagher, Martindale.
- University, Harvard (1970). Harvard Alumni Bulletin. Harvard Alumni Association. p. 14.
- Meagher, Dermot J. (December 2013). Lyons At The Gate: Further Adventures Of Judge Joe Lyons. CreateSpace. ISBN 9781481953900.
- Judge shares ‘Tales from the Bench’