Geraldine Hines
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Geraldine S. Hines (born October 29, 1947) is an American retired judge who formerly served as an associate justice of the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 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 fu ...
from 2014 to 2017. She was nominated in July 2014 by
Massachusetts Governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...
Deval Patrick Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was the first African Americans, African-American Governor of Massachusetts and the first Democratic Pa ...
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 British constitution. The British monarch issued colonial charters that established either royal colonies, propriet ...
. 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, United States. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It was established in 1869 by ...
in
Madison County, Mississippi Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,145. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for Founding Father and U.S. President James Madison. Madison County is pa ...
, and received her
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 ...
degree from the
University of Wisconsin Law School The University of Wisconsin Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a Public university, public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1868, the school is guided by a ...
. 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 equ ...
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 ...
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. Court bail may be offered to secure the conditional release of a defendant with the promise to appear in court when ...
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; pinyin: ''Wú Mǐ''; born January 14, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the mayor of Boston, mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, since 2021. She is the first woman and the first person ...
to aid in the search for a commissioner of the Boston Police Department.


See also

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List of African-American jurists This list includes individuals self-identified as African Americans who have made prominent contributions to the field of law in the United States, especially as eminent judges or legal scholars. Individuals who may have obtained law degrees o ...


References

1947 births Living people People from Roxbury, Boston People from Bolivar County, Mississippi 21st-century 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 lawyers 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American lawyers 20th-century African-American women Public defenders Judges of the Massachusetts Appeals Court {{Massachusetts-state-judge-stub