Geraldine S. Hines (born October 29, 1947) is an American retired judge who formerly served served as an associate justice of the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

from 2014 to 2017. She was nominated in July 2014 by

Massachusetts Governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

Deval Patrick Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician, civil rights lawyer, author, and businessman who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was first elected in 2006, succeeding Mitt Romney, who ...

and confirmed by an 8–0 vote of the

Governor's Council The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the Constitution of the United Kingdom, British constitution. After the Thirteen Colonies had become the United States, the e ...

. She succeeded Ralph D. Gants, who was promoted to chief justice. Hines was born in Scott, Mississippi. She attended

Tougaloo College Tougaloo College is a private historically black college in the Tougaloo area of Jackson, Mississippi. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It was originally established in 1869 by New Yo ...

Madison County, Mississippi Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 95,203. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for U.S. President James Madison. Madison County is part of the Jackson, MS ...

, and received her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from the

University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional graduate law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, the school was founded in 1868. The University of Wisconsin Law School is guided by a "law in ...

. From 1973 to 1976 she was a public defender with the Roxbury Defenders Committee. She was the attorney in charge of the Roxbury Defenders Committee from 1976 to 1978. She worked in private practice throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She was confirmed for the

Massachusetts Superior Court The Massachusetts Superior Court (also known as the Superior Court Department of the Trial Court) is a trial court department in Massachusetts. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $50,000, and in matters where equita ...

in May 2001 and promoted to the

Massachusetts Appeals Court The Massachusetts Appeals Court is the intermediate appellate court of Massachusetts. It was created in 1972 as a court of general appellate jurisdiction. The court is located at the John Adams Courthouse at Pemberton Square in Boston, the same ...

in January 2013. She was sworn into the Supreme Judicial Court on July 31, 2014, becoming the first black woman to serve on the high court. In August 2017, Justice Hines wrote for the unanimous court when it found that the

Excessive Bail Clause The Excessive Bail Clause of the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits excessive bail set in pre-trial detention. If a judge posts excessive bail, the defendant's lawyer may make a motion in court to lower the bail or appe ...

requires courts to make findings of fact when setting unaffordable

bail Bail is a set of pre-trial restrictions that are imposed on a suspect to ensure that they will not hamper the judicial process. Bail is the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when required. In some countries ...

for an indigent defendant. She now lives in Roxbury. In 2017, she retired as she approached the mandatory retirement age of 70. In 2022, Hines served as the chair of a panel appointed by Boston Mayor

Michelle Wu Michelle Wu ( zh, t=吳弭, first=t; born January 14, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the mayor of Boston, mayor of Boston, Massachusetts since 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

to aid in the search for a

commissioner of the Boston Police Department The Boston Police Department (BPD), dating back to 1854, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. The ...

References

1947 births Living people People from Roxbury, Boston People from Bolivar County, Mississippi American women judges Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Massachusetts Superior Court justices Tougaloo College alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni African-American judges 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women Public defenders {{Massachusetts-state-judge-stub

See also

References