Full Name: Christopher J. Armstrong
Year of Induction: 2016
Chris Armstrong served on the Massachusetts Appeals Court for 34 years, from its creation in 1972 until his mandatory retirement in July 2006. He was Chief Justice for the last six years, leading the court’s expansion from 14 to 25 judges and eliminating its case backlog for the first time in 16 years. One of the most liked and respected members of the Council of Chief Judges of the State Courts of Appeal, he served on the Education and Executive committees. His wife, Liz, and he brilliantly orchestrated the special events during the Council’s 2003 conference in Boston and even dipped into their own pockets to temporarily cover expenses when the ABA, then the Council’s secretariat, was late in paying the bills.
A graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, he served in the administration of Governor John Volpe, was Assistant Attorney General under Elliot Richardson, served as Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Francis Sargent, and was Undersecretary of the Executive Office of Administration until his appointment to the Appeals Court in 1972. From 1988 to 1998, he was Chair of the Supreme Judicial Court’s Committee on Judicial Ethics . After retiring from the bench, he joined the Collara law firm as Of Counsel specializing in appellate advocacy