Rya Weickert Zobel

German-American judge (1931–2026)

Rya Weickert Zobel (December 18, 1931 – July 4, 2026) was a United States District Court Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts .

Education and career

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Born in Zwickau , Saxony , Germany , Zobel received a B.A. degree from Radcliffe College in 1953 and a Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School in 1956. She was a law clerk to George Clinton Sweeney , then Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts from 1956 to 1966. She was in private practice in Boston , Massachusetts from 1967 to 1979. She was the first woman made a partner in Goodwin, Procter & Hoar, now Goodwin Procter.

Federal judicial service

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On January 25, 1979, Zobel was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a new seat on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts created by 92 Stat. 1629. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 21, 1979, and received her commission on March 23, 1979. Among her judicial duties, she was director of the Federal Judicial Center from 1995 to 1999. She assumed senior status on April 1, 2014. Zobel served as a judge in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal case.

In 2020, she received the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, the highest honor bestowed upon an Article III federal judge in the United States.

In 2021, she was a recipient of the Outstanding Americans by Choice award from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services . The award recognizes the outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens.

Death

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Zobel died on July 4, 2026, at the age of 94.

References

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 [Rya Weickert Zobel](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1390301)
 at the _[Biographical Directory of Federal Judges](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biographical_Directory_of_Federal_Judges "Biographical Directory of Federal Judges")
_, a publication of the [Federal Judicial Center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Judicial_Center "Federal Judicial Center")
.

 Marquard, Bryan (2026-07-04). ["Rya W. Zobel, first woman federal judge in Mass., dies at 94"](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/04/metro/pioneering-us-district-court-judge-rya-w-zobel-dies-at-94/)
. _The Boston Globe_. [ISSN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN_(identifier) "ISSN (identifier)")
 [0743-1791](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0743-1791)
. Retrieved 2026-07-05.