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New York
Indian-American judge Tejal Mehta was unanimously selected and sworn in as the first justice of Ayer District Court in the US state of Massachusetts. She will serve as the first justice of the Ayer District Court.
She has served as an associate justice with the same court and was unanimously selected and sworn in by Judge Stacey Fortes, chief justice of the District Court, on March 2, “As a lawyer you can help people, but you can only help them to a point. As a judge, you can do so much more and get to the root of issues and talk to people in such a way that really gets through to them, “ Mehta was quoted as saying.
The newly appointed Judge said that her goal is to make a positive impact on the community. “I have seen the same hopes and despairs in every court I have sat in as a travelling judge. But when you are the first justice, then you can really get to know the community and make a real impact.” she said.
Mehta was born to a chemist father and a mother who worked in a hospital. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame. she completed a JD at Boston University School of Law. Mehta kickstarted her career as an assistant clerk for the Suffolk County Superior Court.
She then started her private practice – working as an associate at Gadsby Hannah, Cohn & Dussi and Deutsch, Williams, Brooks, DeRensis & Holland. Her memberships have included the Massachusetts Bar Association and the South Asian Bar Association.
