predecessor office term_start article_title name nominator alma_mater
roderick l. ireland associate justice of the massachusetts supreme judicial court january 26 , 2011 fernande r.v. duffly
 fernande r. v. duffy deval patrick university of connecticut harvard law school
fernande r.v. duffly

fernande r. v. duffly is an american lawyer and jurist from massachusetts .
she was appointed by governor deval patrick in december 2010 to serve as an associate justice of the massachusetts supreme judicial court .
patrick nominated her following the elevation of roderick l. ireland as chief justice on the court .
her nomination was confirmed 4-3 -lrb- with one recusal -rrb- by the governor 's council on january 26 , 2011 .
she is the first asian american to serve on the court .
duffly received her b.a. from the university of connecticut in 1973 -lrb- with highest honors , phi beta kappa , phi kappa phi -rrb- and her law degree from harvard law school , where she was executive director of the harvard legal aid bureau in 1997-1978 .
after law school , she joined the boston law firm warner and stackpole .
she continued to work as an attorney until her nomination to the probate and family court division of the massachusetts trial court in december 1991 ; she was later appointed to the massachusetts appeals court .
she lives in cambridge , massachusetts .
