She began her legal career as a law clerk to Chief Justice Joseph P. Warner of the Massachusetts Appeals Court in 1991.

She was nominated to the court by Governor Deval Patrick in July 2009 and began active service in September 2009.

[8] In May 2017, Budd wrote for the unanimous court when it found that the federal Americans with Disabilities Act required the Massachusetts parole board to make reasonable accommodations when considering whether to grant parole to a murderer with traumatic brain injury.

[12] Budd became the first female, African-American Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upon her swearing in.

[4] Her father is Wayne Budd, senior counsel at Goodwin Procter and a former United States Attorney.