Gov. Maura Healey announced on Wednesday she nominated Robert E. Manning Jr. to serve as clerk magistrate for Edgartown District Court. The decision is now under consideration by the Massachusetts Governor’s Council for confirmation.
“Robert Manning is an accomplished attorney and dedicated public servant who I am proud to nominate as the next clerk magistrate of the Edgartown District Court,” Healey said in a press release. “He has dedicated his career to public service, and I am confident he will bring sound judgment, strong leadership, integrity, and a steady commitment to serving the court.”
If Manning is confirmed, he’ll take over the position once held by former Liza Williamson, who was the clerk magistrate for over 20 years and became an associate justice last June.
Manning currently serves as first assistant clerk magistrate in the Barnstable Superior Court, a role he has held since 2019. Between 2013 and 2019, Manning served as a public defender through the Committee for Public Counsel Services. He maintained a private legal practice before joining the committee. He also holds a bachelor of arts from Lewis & Clark College and a juris doctor from Southern New England School of Law.
A clerk magistrate, according to the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries site, maintains the records of the court and holds “limited judicial authority to hear and decide certain kinds of civil cases.”
There is misleading statement at the end of this article. Clerk magistrates also have the role of hearing show cause hearings in Massachusetts. These are secretive closed door hearings with no stenographer or other recording allowed where clerk magistrates are allowed to decide what criminal cases go forward and what cases get squashed. This process is unique to Massachusetts and in my, and many other peoples opinion, a flawed process that allows certain people to escape justice while others get pushed along through to being formally arraigned afterwards. Frequently the people who get pushed through this process versus kicked out and not charged have the same set of circumstances and details. At the discretion of this politically appointed person, they are allowed to determine, in secret, who will proceed onward in getting a criminal record and who will not. This is a process that should see the light and the Times is not being transparent in disclosing that this is a significant duty of someone who is filling this role.
Quality gentleman. Will he be more geared to actual justice than the embarrassment we have seen the past few years ?
I’m sure Clerk Magistrate Manning will be an exceptional addition to the Edgartown District Court. He certainly has big shoes to fill (both former CM Williamson and interim CM Lyons), but from everything I’ve seen and I hear, he is a thoughtful and hard-working attorney who is more than equal to the job. Personally, I am optimistic that his time at CPCS serving the indigent community will guide him towards being a compassionate magistrate, particularly in dealing with the less fortunate members of our island community. Welcome aboard CM Manning!