Press Release: 5/8/2026
Merita A. Hopkins named new Chair of State Ethics Commission
Chair Hopkins previously served as Superior Court Associate Justice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
5/07/2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Gerry Tuoti, Deputy Chief, Public Education and Communications Division
Phone
Call Gerry Tuoti, Deputy Chief, Public Education and Communications Division at (617) 371-9533
Online
BOSTON — The Honorable Merita A. Hopkins (ret.), formerly an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, has been appointed by Governor Maura Healey to the State Ethics Commission and designated as Chair. Chair Hopkins succeeds former Commission Chair Margot Botsford.
Chair Hopkins was appointed to the Superior Court in 2006 by Governor Mitt Romney and served until her retirement in 2021. She previously served as Corporation Counsel, then Chief of Staff, for the City of Boston. Prior to that, she was an Assistant District Attorney for the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and an attorney in private practice.
Chair Hopkins earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School.
The State Ethics Commission is a non-partisan, independent state agency which administers, provides advice and training concerning, and civilly enforces the conflict of interest and financial disclosure laws. There are five Commissioners: three, including the Commission Chair, are appointed by the Governor, one is appointed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, and one is appointed by the Attorney General. No more than two of the Commissioners appointed by the Governor, and no more than three Commissioners overall, may be from the same political party.