Tracy E. Duncan, a Springfield attorney who has led her own practice for more than 30 years, has been confirmed as the second person of color to serve as a Superior Court judge in western Massachusetts.
The Governor’s Council confirmed Duncan, 6-0, as an associate justice Oct. 26. Governor Maura Healey had on Oct. 4 nominated Duncan, who will take a seat on the bench after Healey swears her in.
The first judge of color on the Superior Court in western Massachusetts was Tina S. Page, an African American who was nominated by former governor Paul Cellucci in 1998 and served until retiring in 2018.
Duncan’s law practice in Springfield had focused on criminal defense, juvenile and landlord-tenant cases in Hampden County Superior Court and U.S. District Court, both in Springfield. Earlier this year, she received a 2023 Distinguished Bar Advocate award from Hampden County Lawyers for Justice Inc.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Lake Forest College in Illinois and her law degree from Western New England University School of Law in Springfield. She was first admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1989.
Duncan is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Springfield chapters of the Links and the Girl Friends.
Healey nominated Duncan and Adam Sisitsky, a Boston attorney with Mintz, to the Superior Court on the same day.
“Tracy and Adam stand out not only for their distinguished legal careers, but also their involvement in their communities,” Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said.
Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction for Massachusetts. Its 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 counties. The Court’s original jurisdiction includes civil actions over $25,000, labor disputes, first-degree murder cases and all other crimes.
