Hon. James Wexler

The Honorable James H. Wexler (retired) was a trial court Judge for the District Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from November 1994 until his retirement in August of 2016. He presided over both civil and criminal matters. He also sat as a juvenile court and superior court judge at various times during his tenure.

While on the bench he served as an adjunct faculty member at the Boston University School of Management where he taught business law and ethics, and at New England Law | Boston where he taught professional responsibility. During that time, he also was a member of the committee that redrafted the Judicial Code of Conduct for Massachusetts. Additionally, he lectured regularly at training seminars for judges, attorneys and law students, and he will continue to do so in retirement.

Prior to going on the bench, Judge Wexler practiced at Greater Boston Legal Services for a number of years, specializing in civil rights, welfare and housing law, including serving as the Senior Housing Attorney. He also was a clinical instructor at Boston University School of Law. He subsequently went into private practice, where he worked for 17 years, first in a large corporate firm, next in a patent and trademark firm, and then as a partner in a fifteen-person general law practice. Over this period his work included representation of individuals, corporations, hospitals, non-profit organizations, and universities. He also did criminal defense work in state and federal court. While in private practice, Judge Wexler was a hearing officer for the Board of Bar Overseers, which has responsibility for disciplining lawyers. He also worked on pro bono matters for various civil rights organizations including Greater Boston Legal Services, GLAD, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.

Judge Wexler grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Hobart College and then graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1968. After teaching elementary school in the city of Chicago, he began his legal education at Columbia Law School in New York. After his second year of law school, he attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education and received a Master’s of Arts in Teaching in 1972. He then completed his legal education at Harvard Law School, receiving his degree from Columbia Law School in 1973. While at Harvard, he taught courses in history and law at an experimental high school run by the City of Cambridge and Harvard University.

For his fellowship project, Judge Wexler will work with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts on racial justice issues. The ACLU fights racial discrimination and works for racial justice nationwide. In Massachusetts today, the ACLU focuses on ensuring fair and effective policing, ending over-incarceration, and ensuring a fair justice system for everyone.