Press Release: 5/7/2026
Supreme Judicial Court Celebrates 35th Anniversary of Boston Judicial Youth Corps Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
5/06/2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Jennifer Donahue and Erika Gully-Santiago
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Call Jennifer Donahue and Erika Gully-Santiago at (617) 557 - 1114
Online
Email Jennifer Donahue and Erika Gully-Santiago at PublicInfo@sjc.state.ma.us
BOSTON, MA — At a ceremony Tuesday at the John Adams Courthouse, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Courtcommemorated 35 years of the Boston Judicial Youth Corps (JYC) program, an intensive court internship programthat educates high school students about the Massachusetts court system and the rule of law.
The Supreme Judicial Court Judicial Youth Corps is a six-week summer program that pairs high school students with lawyers, judges, clerks, probation officers, and other court personnel to teach them about the jobs they do and the role of the courts in the communities they serve.
For more than three decades, over 900 students have participated in the Boston JYC program and gone on to become lawyers, judges, and more, with the overwhelming majority living and working in Massachusetts.
Speakers at the Tuesday ceremony included Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd; retired Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland; Boston Judicial Youth Corps Educational Director Gerald Howland, Esq., and four former JYC program participants, Migdalia Nalls, Esq., Chief of the Juvenile Unit at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Martsyl Joseph, Esq., a visiting professor at Suffolk Law School; Taisha Sturdivant, Esq., a career advisor at Boston College Law School; and Gabriela Vasquez Rosado, a Harvard University senior graduating in June 2026.
“The value of this program for students is clear. The JYC gives students interesting work experience that can serve as a steppingstone for future employment, and it teaches them about a fundamental institution in our system of government. But the value of this program for our court system is perhaps even greater,” Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Budd said. “One of the issues that I have spoken about often during my tenure as Chief Justice has been the importance of maintaining trust and confidence in the courts. By enabling students to work inside the courts, the JYC gives them the opportunity see firsthand how the judges, clerks, court officers and other staff strive to deliver justice each day – to do what is right, to apply the law fairly, and to treat each person with respect. That experience can go a long way in building trust and confidence in our courts.”
“The Judicial Youth Corps may be the one and only project in the entire court system where everyone involved is in agreement that they did something good; that they made a difference in the life of a young person,” retired Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ireland said. “There are so many success stories. You are lawyers, doctors, teachers, chefs, pharmacists, judges, public service employees and more. Good people living your lives serving your communities and making a difference for yourself and others. You are using your talents to lead a purposeful life.”
The Judicial Youth Corps was created in 1991 by then-Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Paul J. Liacos. Hon. Roderick L. Ireland, Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court from 2010 to 2014, was actively involved in planning the program when he was a Boston Juvenile Court judge. The goal of the program was to bring together a diverse group of students to spend their summer learning about the court system. That led to the creation of the JYC program, a paid internship with a rigorous application and interview process.
Funding for the Boston JYC program is provided by the City of Boston's Youth Fund and the Boston Private Industry Council.
Since its inception in Boston in 1991, the JYC has expanded to Springfield and Worcester.