OBITUARY: John Michael Xifaras, a retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge whose life personified the American dream of his immigrant parents, died March 18, 2025, from complications from pneumonia in Florida where he was living with his son. He was 88.
Judge Xifaras served the Commonwealth for nearly 19 years as a District and then Superior Court Judge. Prior to Governor Michael S. Dukakis appointing him to the bench in 1982, John was a labor, admiralty and employment lawyer opening his law practice in 1962 in his hometown, New Bedford, Massachusetts practicing first with Guy Volterra his friend and future Judge. Later in 1969 Ronald Pina, the future District Attorney joined the firm.
He made a memorable hire in the 1970s of Scott Lang who went on to become mayor of New Bedford and the firm, Lang, Xifaras and Bullard, remains one of the preeminent law firms in the Southcoast. Xifaras was a passionate civil rights advocate and labor activist representing numerous unions including the Teamsters, the United Auto Workers Union, the AFL-CIO, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the New Bedford Garment Workers, the New Bedford Fire Department, six local police unions, the New Bedford Seaman’s Union, Longshoremen’s Union, Lumper’s Union and others…