All Courthouses Will Be Closed Friday In Judge's Memory

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants’ death was announced on Monday, Sept. 13. A week prior, Gants said he had recently had a heart attack.

Gants has been hailed by many as a fair and well-respected member of the Massachusetts judiciary.

In announcing the closure, Gov. Charlie Baker called Gants’ death an “incalculable loss to the people of the commonwealth.”

Gants was appointed to the state’s highest appellate court in 2009 and became chief justice in 2014. He was born in New York and graduated from Harvard Law School.

In addition to closing the courts, Baker ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of Gants until further notice.

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