BOSTON — Senior U.S. District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf, 78, resigned Friday from federal judicial service, stating his decision was a protest against President Donald Trump’s use of the legal system for partisan purposes.
“I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom,” Wolf wrote in an op-ed titled Why I am Resigning, published Sunday in The Atlantic. “President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment.”
Wolf, who was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts in 1985 by President Ronald Reagan and served as chief judge from 2006 to 2012, said he was compelled to speak out because: “The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out.”
Unlike state judges in Massachusetts, who must retire at age 70, federal judges such as Wolf hold lifetime appointments under Article III of the U.S. Constitution. They may assume senior status — a form of semi-retirement — once their age and years of service total 80, a rule known as the “Rule of 80.”
In his op-ed, Wolf noted that his resignation as senior judge would not allow President Trump to fill his seat, which was already replaced in 2013 when former President Barack Obama appointed Judge Indira Talwani.
In a statement issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts announcing Judge Wolf’s retirement, Chief Judge Denise J. Casper said that Wolf “has served on this Court with distinction for over four decades. His steadfast commitment to the rule of law, determination in wrestling with novel issues of fact and law, and dedication to making fair, equitable and legally sound decisions without fear or favor are the hallmarks of his time on the bench.”
Before his judicial appointment, Wolf served in the U.S. Department of Justice as a special assistant to both the deputy attorney general and the attorney general in the 1970s, later becoming deputy U.S. attorney for Massachusetts and chief of the office’s Public Corruption Unit from 1981 to 1985. He also practiced law in Washington, D.C., and Boston before joining the bench.
According to the U.S. District Court’s statement, Wolf co-founded and has chaired Integrity Initiatives International since 2016. The organization works to strengthen enforcement of criminal laws against corrupt leaders and human rights violators. He has received numerous honors, including a Certificate of Appreciation from President Gerald Ford, the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, and the Mother Teresa Award in 2021. A graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, he has taught courses on the role of judges in a democracy at several law schools, including Harvard and Boston College.
