Domenic J. F. Russo, 82; was first justice in East Boston court
Boston Globe
As he sat in judgment in East Boston District Court, First Justice Domenic J. F. Russo at times leveled a steely gaze at defendants.
“When I just look sternly,” he told the Globe in 1997, “I can see how it affects individuals, who glance down and are embarrassed.”
Looking much like the football lineman and boxer he once was, Judge Russo could be imposing without trying, which helped convey how seriously he expected defendants to take his instructions as he crafted sentences that steered some of them clear of jail. He was instrumental in launching an East Boston drug court that required offenders to undergo intensive treatment and close supervision for petty crime offenses.