Judge Lenora Chavez, a middle-aged Latina jurist from Boston, has devoted her life to the principle that justice must serve the real-world needs of people—not just the lofty ideals of legal theory. Raised in a working-class neighborhood in Suffolk County, Lenora was the first in her family to attend college, eventually earning her JD from a top law school. She began her legal career as a Boston public defender, where she fought tirelessly for clients who had neither wealth nor influence. Her ability to navigate complex legal frameworks with empathy and a pragmatic mindset earned her recognition and, later, appointment to the state appellate bench. After years of dedicated service, she now serves on the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. Lenora is known for her resilience in the face of political pressure and her insistence that due process and civil liberties must guide judicial outcomes. Though divorced and often immersed in her work, she maintains a steady home life and finds solace in legal literature and thoughtful discourse with trusted colleagues. Her grounding quote—"Justice isn’t abstract. It’s whether the law works for real people."—captures her no-nonsense, compassionate approach to the law.