Hon. Kimberly S. Budd is chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts. She was appointed to the position by Governor Charlie Baker in 2020, becoming the first black woman to lead the state’s Supreme Judicial Court. She filled the vacancy created by the passing of Ralph Gants (deceased).
Budd first joined its bench as an associate justice after receiving an appointment by Governor Baker in 2016. Prior to joining the Supreme Judicial Court, she had served as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court since former Governor Deval Patrick appointed her to the position in 2009. At the time of her elevation, Budd was the regional administrative justice for Middlesex Criminal Business, where she was tasked with overseeing the administration and management of the criminal business for the county.
Budd received a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University in 1988. She went on to complete a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1991, where she was classmates with former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama.
After first serving as a law clerk to the Hon. Joseph P. Warner with the Massachusetts Appeals Court, Budd became a litigation associate at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo. She then left private practice to work as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, where she served in the Major Crimes and Drug Units.
Budd also served as a university attorney in the General Counsel’s Office at Harvard University and later became director of the Community Values Program at Harvard Business School.
She has taught trial advocacy at Harvard Law School and was a former adjunct instructor at New England Law.
Budd is the daughter of former U.S. Attorney Wayne A. Budd, who later served as senior counsel at the Boston law firm Goodwin Procter. She is married and has two sons.