Ex-romantic partner of Massachusetts governor wins council OK to serve on state’s highest court

By STEVE LeBLANC
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) — A panel charged with reviewing judicial appointments has approved the nomination of a former romantic partner of Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey to that state’s highest court. Wednesday’s 6-1 vote assures Appeals Court Associate Justice Gabrielle R. Wolohojian a seat on Massachusett’s Supreme Judicial Court. Healey defended the nomination by saying her past relationship with Wolohojian shouldn’t deny the state the benefit of having a remarkable jurist serve on the high court. But the lone dissenting council member said there couldn’t have been a more insider nominee. The Supreme Judicial Court is Massachusetts’s highest appellate court and hears appeals on a range of criminal and civil cases.