Robert A. Cornetta is an American jurist who currently serves as a Lawrence

Superior Court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

judge and is an adjunct professor at the

Massachusetts School of Law The Massachusetts School of Law (MSLAW) is a private law school in Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1988 and claims that its design and curriculum were influenced by the medical school educational model and legal scholars. Although it ...

at Andover.

Early life

Cornetta was born in 1951 in

Winthrop, Massachusetts Winthrop is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,316 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Winthrop is an ocean-side suburban town in Greater Boston situated at the ...

. He graduated with honors from

Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. With 7,560 students on all campuses, it is the List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston, tenth-largest university ...

(1972) and

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 ...

(1976).

Government work

In 1978, Cornetta served as an assistant district attorney in

Essex County, Massachusetts Essex County is a County (United States), county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the total population was 809,829, making it the third-most populous county in the stat ...

. He then served as town clerk of

Saugus, Massachusetts Saugus is a New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 28,619 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Saugus is known as the site of the first integrated iron work ...

. On March 28, 1980 Cornetta was named temporary town manager. From 1980 to 1981 he was the

town manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

. He then served as an assistant commissioner and director of the Division of Hearings in the Department of Public Welfare from 1981 to 1983. In 1983 he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Saugus Board of Selectmen. From 1983 to 1992, Cornetta ran a private law practice.

Judicial career

In 1992, Cornetta was appointed Associate Justice of the Ipswich District Court by Governor

William Weld William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

. In 1997 he was named that court's Presiding Justice. In 1998 he was named Presiding Justice of the Salem District Court and Regional Administrative Justice for Region II.

Notable cases

*City Bank of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

vs. DeChristoforo. Declaring unconscionable and therefore unenforceable high credit card interest rates *15 Gloucester Parents vs. Gloucester Community Arts Charter School. Upholding school's operation in the city of

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of North Shore (Massachusetts), Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. ...

*Griess vs. Talx Corporation *Bill Hudak's libel suit against Congressional opponent

John F. Tierney John F. Tierney (born September 18, 1951) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1997 to 2015. He is a Democrat who represented the state's , which includes the state's North Shore and Cape An ...

Lawrence, Massachusetts Lawrence is a city located in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Merrimack River. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 89,143. Surrounding communities include Methuen, Massachusetts, Methuen ...

Public Works Director Frank McCann's lawsuit against the city and former

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Kevin Kevin is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; ; ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicised from , an Irish diminutive form.''A Dictiona ...

and Michael Sullivan *

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

vs. Dooling. Enforcing animal cruelty and neglect charges *Mills vs.

AMC Theatres AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (doing business as AMC Theatres, originally an abbreviation for American Multi-Cinema; often referred to simply as AMC) is an American movie theater chain founded in Kansas City, Missouri, and now headquartered ...

Slip and fall cases in darkened movie theatres are governed by the modern liability theory of "mode of operation", not by traditional negligence law

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornetta, Robert 1951 births City and town clerks Massachusetts School of Law faculty Massachusetts District Court judges People from Saugus, Massachusetts People from Winthrop, Massachusetts Suffolk University alumni Suffolk University Law School alumni Town managers of Saugus, Massachusetts Living people Massachusetts Superior Court justices