Paul Julian Liacos (November 20, 1929 – May 6, 1999) was the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1989 to 1996.
Liacos graduated from high school at 16, earned his undergraduate degree from Boston University in 1950, and was admitted to the bar in 1952.
Liacos was still a professor when Governor Michael Dukakis named him to the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) in 1976.
He wrote a number of scholarly works, mainly in the area of criminal law, among them the definitive Handbook of Massachusetts Evidence.
During his seven years as Chief Justice, the court found that the death penalty violated the Massachusetts Constitution and broadened protections for women seeking abortions and for defendants' rights against search and seizure.