Ayanna Pressley’s husband tied to $2B courthouse conflict lawsuit
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A company in which Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s (D-Mass.) husband is a partner has been selected for a nearly $2 billion deal to build a new courthouse in Springfield, Massachusetts; This decision is currently being challenged in court by rejected bidders who claim conflicts of interest distorted the process.
Conan Harris, who has been married to the Massachusetts Democrat for more than a decade, is a partner with John Barros at CoJo Real Estate, who was part of the Liberty Junction team selected for the 40-year courthouse lease in early July, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs allege that Barros’s role as interim executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) creates a conflict of interest because several members of that agency’s board also serve at the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, the state agency that selected Liberty Junction.
The lawsuit also states that Harris has “deep conflicts,” but the most detailed allegations focus on Barros’ leadership role at MCCA, another government agency.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D.M.A. and her husband Conan Harris attend a hotel workers’ strike at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts on September 2, 2024. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
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Pressley, a member of the “Squad,” has not been charged with any crime by the plaintiffs and there is no evidence that he was involved in the bidding process for the reconstruction of the aging Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse.
Records show The bidding process officially began on June 30, 2025, when DCAMM issued a request for proposals for the Springfield courthouse project.
Plaintiffs argued that Barros failed to disclose his involvement in the courthouse bidding process to the State Ethics Commission when he became head of MCCA on Jan. 14, 2026.
The lawsuit also stated that the Freedom Junction proposal was not updated to indicate that Barros had been appointed to a leadership role at MCCA.
Skyline of downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. (John Greim/LightRocket)
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Massachusetts law generally prohibits government employees from having a direct or indirect financial interest in government contracts unless they qualify for an exemption, such as making required disclosures to the State Ethics Commission and not participating in the work of the contracting agency.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Barros and Harris for comment.
Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, defended the bidding process in a statement to reporters this week, saying the city of Springfield deserves a new courthouse and calling the current building “sick.”
A rendering of what the Springfield Justice Center will look like when completed. (Massachusetts State Government)
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Healey said Wednesday: “This was a competitive procurement process. It was a competitive bid and the project chosen was the one that cost the taxpayers the least amount of money. I stand with the taxpayers. As someone who wants to protect taxpayer dollars, I’m in favor of supporting anything that costs the taxpayers the least amount of money.” WWLP-TV.
The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance said: Boston Herald Healey said Tuesday that his administration should “immediately halt this agreement, release the relevant purchasing records, dispute disclosures, scoring documents and communications, and allow these allegations to be fully investigated.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Healey’s office for comment.
