Caulo, Ellen M.

Judicial Biography

Personal:

Caulo said at her Governor’s Council hearing that every morning as a Sheriff’s Department employee she walked past people who are waiting to visit family members incarcerated in a Suffolk jail and described deposing a woman whose son died in custody as “one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever had in my life.”

“I appreciate what it’s like to have to defend,” Caulo said, noting her work defending sheriff’s office employees who are sued under a civil rights statute that prevents them from being indemnified.

An Arlington resident who has worked for the sheriff since 2003, Caulo said she was born and raised in New Jersey by parents – now in their nineties – who survived the Great Depression.

Councilor Jennie Caissie presented Caulo with a hypothetical scenario where a restraining order is requested between a member of a married couple that is in the process of divorce. Caissie wanted to know whether Caulo would consider deciding custody issues if the case came before her in district court.

“My obligation, I would think, is to ensure that public safety is upheld,” Caulo said as part of her answer. She also said, “I want to assure you that I would be careful and thoughtful.”

Year appointed/elected:

2012, by Gov. Deval L. Patrick

Background

Education:

Boston College Law School
Boston College

Professional

Legal Employment History:

Deputy general counsel, Suffolk Sheriff’s Department
Suffolk University Law School
Prosecutor, Suffolk and Middlesex district attorneys’ offices; Attorney General’s Office.