[3] In 2009, she was appointed to the Massachusetts District Court by Governor Deval Patrick and sworn in on September 17, 2010.

[10][11] On June 23, 2021, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

[13] On September 14, 2021, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 52–43 vote.

[9] On February 7, 2025, the office of the NIH Director (Matthew J. Memoli[19]), acting under guidance of the second Trump administration, introduced a Notice stating that the NIH would fund the portion of higher educational institution research grants termed indirect costs–typically covering institutional overhead expenses including depreciation, research facility maintenance, and research staff support—at a fixed level of 15%, discarding the generally much higher indirect cost percentages that had been previously negotiated for grants in effect to individual institutions.

[22][23] The New York Times and Forbes.com subsequently reported that Judge Kelley expanded the ruling to cover institutions nationwide "in response to another lawsuit filed by university associations and major research centers".