Peabody Judge Picked To Be Massachusetts Appeals Court Chief Justice

PEABODY, MA — A Peabody judge who has served as Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court since 2014 is Gov. Maura Healey's choice as the next Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

Healey on Wednesday nominated Justice Amy Blake to succeed Chief Justice Mark Green, who recently retired after serving nearly 23 years on the Appeals Court.

"Justice Blake's decade of service on the Massachusetts Appeals Court and additional experience with the Probate and Family Court and in private practice make her an outstanding candidate for Chief Justice," Healey said. "I'm proud to nominate her and appreciate the Governor's Council's review of her nomination."

Prior to being appointed to the Appeals Court by former Gov. Deval Patrick, Blake served as an associate justice on the Probate and Family Court from 2008 to 2014 and was a former assistant district attorney in the Middlesex DA's Office. She also teaches at New England Law.

"The Appeals Court does important work for all our residents, and Justice Blake is uniquely qualified to lead this court," Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said. "I am excited to work with the Governor's Council as they move to consider this nominee."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)