Massachusetts has two new District Court judges. The Governor’s Council voted 8 to 0 on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, to confirm Gov. Maura Healey’s nominations of Michael Callanan, a Dedham criminal defense lawyer, and Kristen Varsames Tyson, a public defender in Lowell, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly reported.
Both are longtime defense lawyers, and both also spent part of their careers as prosecutors. Here is who they are, how a Massachusetts judge gets the job, and what the District Court they are joining handles.
The two new judges
Michael Callanan has more than two decades of experience trying criminal cases and has run a solo criminal defense practice in Dedham for the past 18 years, according to the Governor’s Office as reported by Lawyers Weekly. He has tried more than 100 cases to verdict and has been a bar advocate through Suffolk Lawyers for Justice for more than a decade. From 2015 to 2017 he was a special assistant district attorney in Norfolk County, handling conflict cases for the Norfolk DA’s Office. Earlier he worked as an assistant attorney general in the Special Investigation and Narcotics Division of the Attorney General’s Office, according to the governor’s October 14 nomination announcement, and also in the Essex County DA’s Office, Lawyers Weekly reported. He graduated from Suffolk University Law School.
Kristen Varsames Tyson is a trial attorney in the Lowell Public Defender Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, representing clients in the Middlesex County District and Superior courts. Before joining CPCS in April 2026, she spent more than eight years as a bar advocate in Middlesex County, and from 2003 to 2007 she was an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, Lawyers Weekly reported. She clerked for Judge Jerome Niedermeier of the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont and for Chief Justice Jeffrey Amestoy of the Vermont Supreme Court. She is a Boston College Law School graduate and received the 2025 Commonwealth Heroine Award from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, according to Lawyers Weekly.
A note on the name: the governor’s nomination announcement spells her surname Tyson. Lawyers Weekly’s report spelled it Tysonis. We use the governor’s spelling.
“Kristen Tyson and Michael Callanan bring decades of courtroom experience and a strong commitment to upholding the law,” Healey said when she nominated them on October 14. “They have dedicated their careers to public service and ensuring that people are treated fairly in our justice system.”
How a Massachusetts judge is appointed
Massachusetts does not elect judges. The constitution gives the job to the governor and an elected council. We read the text at malegislature.gov.
| Step | What the constitution says |
|---|---|
| Nomination | Under Part II, Chapter II, Section I, Article IX, “All judicial officers” are “nominated and appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and consent of the council.” |
| Waiting period | The same article requires that “every such nomination shall be made by the governor, and made at least seven days prior to such appointment.” |
| The council | Article XVI of the Amendments provides that “Eight councillors shall be” chosen by voters “qualified to vote for governor.” |
| Tenure | Judges “hold their offices during good behavior.” The governor, with the council’s consent, can remove a judge “upon the address of both houses of the legislature.” |
| Retirement | Article XCVIII of the Amendments says “upon attaining seventy years of age said judges shall be retired.” |
The seven-day rule means the council cannot vote on the day a nomination is made. Callanan and Tyson were nominated on October 14 and confirmed three weeks later. Once confirmed and sworn, a judge can serve until age 70 unless removed or retired for disability.
Lieutenant Gov. Kim Driscoll said at the nominations that she looked forward “to working with the Governor’s Council to advance their nominations.”
What the District Court does
The District Court is where most Massachusetts residents who ever see a courtroom end up. According to the governor’s nomination announcement:
- It hears “a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other cases.”
- Its criminal jurisdiction includes “all misdemeanors, violations of municipal ordinances and bylaws, and felonies punishable by up to five years in prison, as well as certain other felonies carrying longer potential sentences.”
- On the civil side, it hears cases with damages “generally not exceeding $50,000,” and small claims up to $7,000.
- It sits in 62 courthouses across the state.
That means arraignments, OUI cases, restraining orders, most drug and larceny cases, small claims, and civil commitments.
Neither the announcement nor the Lawyers Weekly report says which courthouse each new judge will sit in.
Both sides of the courtroom
Between them, the two new judges have worked as a solo defense lawyer, a bar advocate, a public defender, an assistant attorney general and prosecutors in three counties. Before these two, Healey had nominated 36 attorneys to the District Court, according to her October 14 announcement.
The council after the election
The same eight councillors will be back next term. The incumbents who faced opponents on November 3 all won, Lawyers Weekly reported. Councillors Tamisha L. Civil, Eunice D. Zeigler and Paul M. DePalo beat Republican challengers, and the other five ran unopposed in the general election. Councillors Mara Dolan, Christopher A. Iannella Jr., Terrence W. Kennedy and Tara J. Jacobs had beaten primary challengers in September, and Councillor Joseph C. Ferreira was unopposed in both the primary and the general election, according to the report. All eight are Democrats.
With Healey also reelected, the same governor and council will keep filling judicial vacancies for the next two years.
Frequently asked questions
Who confirms judges in Massachusetts?
The Governor’s Council, an eight-member elected body. Under Article IX of Part II, Chapter II of the state constitution, the governor nominates judges and appoints them with the council’s advice and consent.
How long do Massachusetts judges serve?
During good behavior, until mandatory retirement at age 70 under Article XCVIII of the Amendments. There are no judicial elections or term limits.
What cases does the Massachusetts District Court hear?
All misdemeanors, many felonies punishable by up to five years, civil cases generally up to $50,000, small claims up to $7,000, and housing, juvenile and mental health matters, according to the governor’s office.
Who are the new District Court judges?
Michael Callanan, a Dedham criminal defense lawyer, and Kristen Varsames Tyson, a CPCS public defender in Lowell, confirmed 8 to 0 on November 4, 2026.
Sources: Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, November 6, 2026; Office of the Governor, nomination announcement, October 14, 2026. Massachusetts Constitution, Part II, Chapter II, Section I, Article IX; Part II, Chapter III, Article I; Amendments, Articles XVI and XCVIII, read at malegislature.gov. General information, not legal advice.