Mark Wolf

Mark Lawrence Wolf (b. 1946) is an Article III federal judge serving on senior status for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He joined the court in 1985 after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan. At the time of appointment, Wolf was a Deputy U.S. Attorney and Chief of Public Corruption Unit in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. Wolf served as chief judge of the court from 2006 to 2012.^[1] On January 1, 2013, Wolf assumed senior status for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts after serving on the court for 27 years.^[2]^[3]

Education[edit]

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Wolf graduated from Yale University with his bachelor's degree in 1968 and received a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1971. Wolf also served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1969 to 1975.^[1]

Career[edit]

Wolf was a private practice attorney in Washington, DC from 1971 to 1974. Wolf was a special assistant to U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lawrence Silberman, in the United States Department of Justice from 1974 to 1975 and for U.S. Attorney General Edward Levi until 1977. He was a private practice attorney in Massachusetts from 1977 to 1981. Wolf served as a deputy U.S. attorney and chief of Public Corruption Unit in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts from 1981 to 1985. He has taught as a Lecturer for Harvard Law School from 1989 to 1990 and for Boston College Law School in 1992.^[1]

Judicial career[edit]

District of Massachusetts[edit]

Wolf was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts by President Ronald Reagan on March 8, 1985, to a new seat created by 98 Stat. 333, which was approved by Congress. Wolf was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 3, 1985, on a voice vote and received commission on April 4, 1985. Wolf has served as the Chief Judge of the Court from 2006 to 2012.^[1] On January 1, 2013, Wolf assumed senior status for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts after serving on the court for 27 years.^[2]

Noteworthy cases[edit]

Prisoner sex change (2012)

See also: United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Kosilek v. Department of Corr, et al, 1:2000-cv-12455)

Mark Wolf granted inmate Michelle Kosilek a taxpayer-funded sex-change surgery. Wolf wrote in his ruling on September 4, 2012, that "there is no less intrusive means to correct the prolonged violation of Kosilek's Eighth Amendment right to adequate medical care."^[4]

Kosilek sued in 2000 and again in 2005, on grounds the State of Massachusetts violated her constitutional rights. Attorneys for the Massachusetts Attorney General felt that the after-effects of the surgery could cause security problems. They said that the surgery would make Kosilek target for sexual assault in the all-male prison. Wolf noted that the Department of Correction's medical officers testified that the surgery was the only adequate treatment.^[5]^[4]

Kosilek was born a man, but has taken hormone treatments and lives as a woman. Formerly known as Robert, she was convicted of murdering Cheryl Kosilek, her wife, in 1990. She is serving a life term.^[4]

Update:
On December 19, 2012, Judge Wolf ruled that more than $700,000 were due in attorney's fees for Kosilek.^[6]

In his December 19th ruling, Wolf noted that Kosilek’s legal team has offered to forgo legal fees, if the Department of Corrections drop their appeal and moves forward with Kosilek’s gender re-assignment surgery.^[6]

Wolf was critical of the Department of Corrections in his ruling from the bench, saying, “The repeated violation of constitutional rights of prisoners…costs taxpayers money that is needed for other purposes.”^[6]

Salvatore DiMasi case (2011)

See also: United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (USA v. DiMasi et al, 1:09-cr-10166-MLW-1)

Former Massachusetts House of Representatives Speaker Salvatore DiMasi]] was convicted on corruption charges in June 2011. He was found guilty of seven of nine charges, including conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and extortion.^[7] He was sentenced to eight years in prison as a result of the conviction.^[8]

In August 2012, DiMasi's attorneys filed an appeal of the conviction, stating that the prosecution did not prove that DiMasi "knowingly" accepted bribes.^[9]