David A. Lowy (born 1960) is an American attorney, academic and jurist who served as an associate justice of the

Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously fun ...

from 2016 to 2024. In February 2024 Lowy was named general counsel for the University of Massachusetts.

Early life and education

Lowy is a native of

Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known ...

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 Scho ...

in 1978. Lowy received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

in 1983 and his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Boston University School of Law The Boston University School of Law (BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston. Established in 1872, it is the third-oldest law school in New England, after Harvard Law School and Yale Law School. Ap ...

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 United States district court, federal district court whose Jurisdiction (area), territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth (U.S. state), C ...

. 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 Governor of Massachusetts, 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. A Harvard University, Harvard graduate, Weld be ...

. 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. Council ...

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 equ ...

by Governor

Paul Cellucci Argeo Paul Cellucci (; April 24, 1948 – June 8, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 69th governor of Massachusetts from 1997 to 2001 and as the United States Ambassador to ...

. In 2015, he presided over the trial of Philip Chism, a 15-year old

Danvers High School Danvers High School (DHS) is a public high school in Danvers, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Danvers Public Schools school district. Demographics Student enrolment for the 2022-23 school year (Grades 9-12) was 777. The 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 serving as the sixth president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 72nd governor of Massa ...

on June 14, 2016, and confirmed by the Governor's Council on July 27, 2016. He succeeded Justice

Robert J. Cordy Robert J. Cordy (born May 18, 1949) is a former Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court who served from 2001 to 2016. Biography Cordy graduated from Dartmouth College in 1971 and Harvard Law School in 1974. After graduation, ...

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. ...

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

fentanyl Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic piperidine opioid primarily used as an analgesic (pain medication). It is 30 to 50 times more Potency (pharmacology), potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Its primary Medici ...

. Lowy retired from the court on February 3, 2024.

Teaching

Lowy has had several teaching positions which include adjunct professorships at

New England Law Boston New England Law Boston (formerly New England School of Law, and styled as New England Law Boston) is a Private university, private law school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded as Portia School of Law in 1908 and is located in downtown B ...

since 1991,

Suffolk University Law School Suffolk University Law School (also known as Suffolk Law School) is the Private university, private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in Downtown Boston, downtown Boston, across the street from the Boston Common and the Fr ...

from 1995 to 2005, and

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 the port authority for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It owns and operates three airports, Logan International Airport, Hanscom Field, and Worcester Regional Airport, and public terminals in the P ...

. They reside in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsu ...

References

External links

Official Biography on Supreme Court website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lowy, David A. 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 1960 births