Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has nominated her ex-girlfriend of several years to the state Supreme Court.
If confirmed, Associate Justice Gabriel R. Wolohogian of the Massachusetts Court of Appeals will serve as an associate judge of the Supreme Judicial Court. She will fill the seat vacated by Judge David Lowy.
“There is no one more qualified and better prepared to join the SJC than Judge Wolohojian. I am proud of that nomination and proud to nominate someone so deserving and qualified. It’s the right thing to do for the commonwealth,”’ Healey told reporters on the issue during a press conference Wednesday.
There’s a lot of beef in Boston: Steak chips are a popular pub food tradition in Boston, which is famous for its seafood.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey answers questions from reporters. On Wednesday, she nominated her ex-boyfriend, an appellate court judge and someone she lived with for several years, to a vacant seat on the state Supreme Court. (Stuart Cahill/Media News Group/Boston Herald)
Healy, the first woman elected governor and the first openly active member of the LGBTQ community, defended her choice, citing her personal history with Wolohosians.
“Of course, I have had a long-standing personal relationship with Judge Wolohogian, so I happen to know her character, her integrity, and the kind of person she is,” added Healy, a Democrat.
Healy said Wolohogian received a unanimous recommendation from the state’s Supreme Judicial Nominating Commission, a five-member committee appointed by the governor. She must appear before the Governor’s Council, an eight-member board that reviews and approves attorney general nominations.
The governor said Wolohogian, 63, already presides over matters involving state agencies and the executive branch, so there is no need to recuse himself from litigation involving the Healey administration.
However, there are some who oppose this nomination.
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Boston. (Massachusetts State Government)
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“It would be highly inappropriate for the governor to nominate someone to the Massachusetts Supreme Court with whom he had a long-term romantic relationship,” said Amy Carnevale, head of the Massachusetts Republican Party. “This nomination clearly demonstrates the lack of accountability inherent in one-party rule.”
FOX News Digital has reached out to the governor’s office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
