John D. Casey, the chief justice of the Probate and Family Court, will be retiring next year, the trial court office confirmed to GBH News Monday.
The Probate and Family Court handles a wide range of responsibilities, including divorces, child support and custody arrangements, guardianships, some restraining orders, and wills and estates.
The chief justice will be stepping down in July 2025 after being first appointed to the role in 2018. Casey was first appointed to the Probate and Family Court in 2006.
He was reappointed to a second-five year term last year. He is 67 years old, still a few years shy of judges’ mandatory retirement age of 70.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Child Advocate, which reviews provision of services to children in Massachusetts, said in a statement Monday that it extended its “heartfelt appreciation” to Casey for his cooperation over the years.
“We are grateful for his commitment to collaboration with the OCA – which has strengthened our ability to work for the protection and well-being of all children and families,” the spokesperson wrote Monday. “We wish Chief Justice Casey the very best in retirement.”
The court’s next chief justice would be selected by the chief justice of the trial court, Heidi Brieger. She started in the position last December.
Casey declined an interview request through Trial Court Spokesperson Jennifer Donahue.
This is a developing story.
