User:Aristotle19/Martha P. Grace

Martha Pliner Grace was Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court from 1998 to 2009, the first woman to lead one of the Commonwealth's seven trial court departments. She retired on February 28, 2009 after 22 years of judicial service.

Early life
Grace was born Martha Pliner in Providence, Rhode Island. A standout student in high school who once dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, she graduated in 1961 from the all-female Smith College with a degree in zoology. Grace obtained a master's degree in history from Clark Universityin 1971 before turning her sights on a career in law.

Legal career
A mother with two young children, Grace attended the New England School of Law in Boston, later graduating at the top of her class. After law school, Grace entered private practice in the Worcester firm of Rubin & Rubin, before pursuing public service. From 1986 to 1990, she was a clerk-magistrate in the Spencer Division of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court.

A keen legal talent who attracted the attention of her superiors, Grace was appointed an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court in 1990 by Governor Michael Dukakis. In 1998, after eight years of adjudicating a diverse selection of care and protection, delinquency, parental rights and mental health cases, she was elevated to the position of Chief Justice. With the historic appointment, Grace replaced the visionary Francis G. Poitrast, widely credited with transforming the Massachusetts Juvenile Court into a powerful, effective and renowned judicial system. She served as Chief Justice until her retirement in February 2009. Following her retirement, she obtained a Master's Degree in Animals and Policy from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in 2011.

Awards and Professional Affiliations
Grace is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers Distinguished Jurist Award (2002), the YWCA Katherine Erskine Award (1998), the St. Thomas More Society Ecumenical Award (1999), the Massachusetts Judges Conference Award (2000) and holds honorary degrees from Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and Southern New England School of Law.

She is a member of the Massachusetts, Boston, Worcester County and Juvenile Bar Associations as well as the National Association of Woman Judges, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the American Judicature Society, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Historical Society and the Massachusetts Judges Conference.