David A. Lowy is an American attorney, academic and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.

Early life and education

Lowy is a native of Peabody, Massachusetts and graduated from

Peabody Veterans Memorial High School Peabody Veterans Memorial High School (PVMHS), also known as Peabody High School, is a comprehensive and competitive public high school in Peabody, Massachusetts, United States. It is the only comprehensive public high school in the Peabody Schoo ...

in 1978. Lowy received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

from the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

in 1983 and his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law in 1987.

Career

After law school, Lowy became an associate in the litigation department of Goodwin, Procter & Hoar from 1987 to 1988 and again 1989 to 1990. In 1988, he served as a law clerk to Judge Edward F. Harrington of the

United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was he ...

. He then served as an assistant district attorney in Essex County. In 1991, he became deputy legal counsel to Governor

Bill Weld William Floyd Weld (born July 31, 1945) is an American attorney, businessman, author, and politician who served as the 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. A Harvard and Oxford graduate, Weld began his career as legal counsel to ...

. In 1993, helped draft the governor’s first anti-crime legislative package. In 1995, Lowy left the Weld administration to work for the Suffolk County district attorney’s gang unit.

Judicial career

On July 26, 1997, outgoing governor Bill Weld appointed Lowy to the Ipswich District Court. On August 20, 1997, the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Counc ...

voted unanimously to confirm Lowy. In 2001, he was nominated to 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 equit ...

by Governor

Paul Cellucci Argeo Paul Cellucci (; April 24, 1948 – June 8, 2013) was an American politician and diplomat from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Republican, he served as the 69th governor of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2001, and as the United State ...

. In 2015, he presided over the trial of Philip Chism, a 15-year old Danvers High School student who was convicted of raping and killing his teacher, Colleen Ritzer. He was nominated to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court by Governor

Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Baker was a cabinet official under two governors of Massach ...

on June 14, 2016, and confirmed by the Governor's Council on July 27, 2016. He succeeded Justice Robert J. Cordy upon his retirement on August 12, 2016. In July 2018, Lowy wrote for the unanimous court when it found that a probationer suffering from

opioid use disorder Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. O ...

could be imprisoned for a probation violation after she tested positive for

fentanyl Fentanyl, also spelled fentanil, is a very potent synthetic opioid used as a pain medication. Together with other drugs, fentanyl is used for anesthesia. It is also used illicitly as a recreational drug, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocain ...

Teaching

Lowy has had several teaching positions which include adjunct professorships at New England Law Boston since 1991, Suffolk University Law School from 1995 to 2005, and Boston University School of Law since 2006, where he teaches courses in evidence.

Personal life

Lowy is married to Virginia Buckingham, who was chief of staff to Governors Weld and Cellucci and executive director of

Massport Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) is an American port authority in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It owns and operates three airports—Logan International Airport, Hanscom Field, and Worcester Regional Airport—and public terminals in ...

. They reside in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends into the northern part of Massachusetts Bay. Attache ...

References

External links

Official Biography on Supreme Court website
* 21st-century American judges Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni Boston University School of Law alumni Boston University School of Law faculty Massachusetts lawyers Massachusetts District Court judges Massachusetts Superior Court justices Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court New England Law Boston faculty People from Marblehead, Massachusetts People from Peabody, Massachusetts Suffolk University Law School faculty Goodwin Procter associates {{Massachusetts-state-judge-stub