Boston Municipal Court Judge Steven M. Key ’88

The Honorable Steven Key is currently a judge for the Boston Municipal Court. During my time with him, however, he made it clear that while he did not grow up in a home surrounded by lawyers — hard work can go a long way. After graduating from Boston Latin School in 1988, he attended College of the Holy Cross for undergraduate and Suffolk University Law School before becoming a defense attorney. Judge Key saw a number of cases regarding criminal and civil charges, but always took time to remind himself of his training as a defense attorney and remember that the accused came first. During his days practicing, Judge Key took into account his clients best interests inside of the courtroom, and carried each case with him to the present day. Now that he is a Judge, he gets both perspectives of the courtroom, but continues to fairly decide all the cases that come his way. He recognizes that each person inside the courthouse has a different story, past, and reason for being there, but at the end of the day he faces the burden of deciding many peoples’ lives. He embodies the best qualities of a fair judge: humility, diligence, and objectivity, while recognizing his own biases and life experience. I am fortunate enough to be shadowing him and partaking in the inner workings of the court under Judge Key.