Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey
Name	Maura Healey
Office	Attorney General of Massachusetts
Term start	January 2, 2015
Predecessor	Martha Coakley
Birth date	January 8, 1971
Birth place	Bethesda, Maryland
Alma mater	Princeton University (A.B.), Harvard Law School (J.D.)

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is an American attorney and politician serving as the elected Attorney General of Massachusetts since 2015. Healey, a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, previously worked in civil rights and public interest legal roles including at the ACLU and the United States Department of Justice. As Attorney General she has led state actions on consumer protection, civil rights, healthcare, and technology issues while engaging with federal actors such as the United States Department of Justice and litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Early life and education

Healey was born in Bethesda, Maryland and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts near institutions like Clark University and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She attended Princeton University, where she studied public policy under faculty associated with the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and participated in programs linked to the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. After Princeton, Healey worked with organizations connected to civil rights advocacy in the networks of the American Civil Liberties Union and later matriculated at Harvard Law School, joining clinics and workshops that collaborated with the United States Department of Justice and non‑profits such as the ACLU Foundation and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Legal career

Healey began her legal career clerking for judges in the federal judiciary and joining litigation teams that partnered with entities like the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and trial units interacting with the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She served in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice and as chief of the Civil Rights Unit in the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, litigating against actors including private firms and public institutions. Healey’s practice brought her into contact with organizations such as the ACLU, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, and advocacy groups that litigated before venues like the Massachusetts Superior Court and appeals before the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.

Tenure as Massachusetts Attorney General

As Attorney General since 2015, Healey has overseen a statewide office that coordinates with the Massachusetts State Police, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and municipal prosecutors in cities such as Boston, Springfield, Massachusetts, and Worcester, Massachusetts. Her office has filed and defended cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and submitted amici briefs to the Supreme Court of the United States on matters touching the Affordable Care Act, the Clean Air Act, and federal regulatory actions by agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Trade Commission. Healey’s tenure has included collaborations with other state attorneys general like the offices in California, New York, and Illinois on multistate enforcement actions.

Major investigations and litigation

Healey has led high-profile investigations and litigation against corporations and institutions, including enforcement actions targeting pharmaceutical companies implicated in controversies similar to those involving Purdue Pharma and litigation against technology firms akin to cases involving Facebook, Google, and Amazon. Her office has pursued consumer protection claims mirroring national actions by the Federal Trade Commission and filed suits related to financial practices that intersect with enforcement by the Securities and Exchange Commission and state banking regulators. Healey has also sued healthcare entities and insurers in disputes resembling litigation involving Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, brought civil rights litigation parallel to cases handled by the ACLU and Lambda Legal, and initiated environmental suits that align with actions taken by states under the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act.

Policy positions and advocacy

Healey has advocated positions on criminal justice reform similar to proposals advanced by reform advocates associated with The Sentencing Project and policymakers in jurisdictions like New York and California. She has emphasized consumer privacy and data protection policies resonant with legislative efforts such as the California Consumer Privacy Act and cooperated with other attorney generals on model enforcement frameworks regarding technology companies and data brokers. On healthcare, Healey has defended provisions of the Affordable Care Act and engaged with state public health agencies including the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on vaccination and opioid crisis responses similar to initiatives endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Personal life and honors

Healey lives in Boston and has been recognized by organizations such as the Boston Bar Association, the American Constitution Society, and civil rights groups akin to GLAAD for leadership in civil rights litigation. Honors include awards from statewide legal entities comparable to the Massachusetts Bar Association and civic recognitions from municipal bodies in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Somerville, Massachusetts. She has lectured at institutions including Harvard Law School and participated in panels with leaders from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Kennedy School.

Category:Living people Category:People from Bethesda, Maryland Category:People from Worcester, Massachusetts Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Harvard Law School alumni Category:Massachusetts Attorneys General