Next week, Judge Diana Maldonado will put down her gavel for the final time at the Williams Street courthouse, where she has served as the first justice of the Chelsea District Court.
During the week of April 15th, she will assume her new role as a judge on the Appeals Court.
In January, Gov. Deval Patrick put forward her nomination for the Appeals Court position, and she subsequently received approval from the Governor’s Council. Currently, she is completing her work at the district court and preparing for this next phase of her judicial career.
Maldonado arrived at Chelsea Court in 1998 as her initial judicial assignment, following her appointment by then-Gov. Paul Cellucci. While serving as an associate justice, she established the Drug Court, a well-regarded and widely-copied program that has benefited thousands of residents in Chelsea and Revere through its distinctive approach to drug-related offenses.
Recognized for her strict judicial demeanor—one that rejected excuses without being gratuitously severe—she was promoted to First Justice in 2009. Before taking the bench, she worked as a public defender representing indigent clients in both state and federal courts.
During the 1980s, she also clerked for Appeals Court Judge Frederick Brown.
She earned her law degree from Northeastern Law School in 1985.