Judge Heidi E. Brieger appointed next chief justice of Mass. Trial Court – The Boston Globe

Judge Heidi E. Brieger has been appointed the next chief justice of the Massachusetts Trial Court, the Supreme Judicial Court announced Thursday.

Brieger is a former prosecutor for the US attorney’s office who has served as a Superior Court judge since 2012 and was named chief justice of the Superior Court in 2021. She will succeed outgoing Trial Court Chief Justice Jeffrey A. Locke, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 in December, and will work alongside Trial Court Administrator Tom Ambrosino, according to a statement by the SJC.

Brieger’s appointment as head of the Trial Court will take effect Dec. 22, the SJC said.

“I am deeply honored by the confidence placed in me by the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court,” Brieger said in the statement.

“This is an important time in the delivery of justice for residents throughout the Commonwealth, and I look forward to continuing in the tradition of excellence of the Massachusetts judicial system since its founding. I look forward to working closely with Trial Court Administrator Ambrosino as we embrace the opportunities and challenges ahead.”

Brieger, a graduate of Smith College and Boston College Law School, began working as a prosecutor for the Massachusetts US attorney’s office in 1992 and was named chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force in 2006.

Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd said Brieger led the Superior Court for the last two and a half years with “skill, wisdom, and dedication.”

“Chief Justice Brieger understands and cares deeply about the court system,” Budd said in the statement. “Her thoughtful, collaborative leadership style makes her ideally suited to work with the Court Administrator, Tom Ambrosino, to lead the Trial Court.”

The SJC said the chief justice of the Trial Court is “the police and judicial head” of the court, which includes the Boston Municipal, District, Housing, Juvenile, Land, Probate and Family, and Superior Courts, the Office of the Commissioner of Probation, and the Office of Jury Commissioner.

“The Chief Justice of the Trial Court has authority over all matters of judicial policy and appoints the departmental chief justices, oversees case flow management and the establishment of programs and procedures to continuously improve access to justice by all segments of the Commonwealth’s population,” the SJC said.

The Trial Court includes 385 judges and more than 6,000 staff members working across 94 courthouses, the SJC said.

Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com. Follow him @NickStoico.