Council Confirms Dewar To Be part of SJC

Healey Appointee Will Break Up Baker Court docket

JAN. 10, 2024…..One yr in the past at the moment, Elizabeth “Bessie” Dewar was the state’s high legislation enforcement official throughout a roughly two-week stint as performing lawyer common. On Wednesday, she was confirmed as the most recent justice of the state’s highest court docket.

There was little doubt that the Governor’s Council would verify Dewar, the state solicitor tapped by Gov. Maura Healey to fill the Supreme Judicial Court docket seat that Justice Elspeth Cypher is giving up when she steps down on the finish of this week to take a place at Boston Faculty Regulation College. There was little resistance to Dewar’s nomination throughout her December listening to with the council, and councilors voted 7-0 Wednesday to approve her for the bench.

“That is simply an incredible individual and the way welcome she’s going to be. And he or she has been concerned in each sort of legislation,” Councilor Marilyn Devaney mentioned earlier than the vote Wednesday. No different councilor spoke concerning the affirmation. “I used to be by no means so impressed with anybody as she … and she or he has compassion. That’s what I’m in search of.”

Healey mentioned she was “thrilled” that Dewar was confirmed unanimously and mentioned she seems to be ahead “to swearing her in quickly.”

“She’s an skilled lawyer and a consensus builder who will make a wonderful Supreme Judicial Court docket Justice,” the governor mentioned in an announcement.

As soon as she is sworn in, Dewar would be the first justice since Robert Cordy to take a seat on the SJC with out already having been a decide in a decrease court docket. A former federal prosecutor and high authorized advisor to Gov. William Weld, Cordy was nominated by Gov. Paul Cellucci in 2000.

Dewar addressed her lack of judicial expertise head-on throughout her affirmation listening to, telling councilors that she would convey “plenty of expertise with the completely different courts of the commonwealth” to the SJC bench.

“I completely suppose it’s essential that the Supreme Judicial Court docket have a variety of expertise, and particularly, a variety of expertise with all of the courts within the commonwealth. Each single one among them,” Dewar mentioned.

The Jamaica Plain resident may apply that have to the state’s highest court docket for greater than a quarter-century. Dewar is 43 years outdated and received’t attain the state’s obligatory judicial retirement age of 70 till July 4, 2050.

Healey in 2016 named Dewar to function Massachusetts’s second state solicitor. In that position, Dewar supervised the briefing and arguing of appeals by attorneys all through the lawyer common’s workplace, suggested the AG on exercising her authority to determine whether or not to enchantment from adversarial choices, and led the workplace’s “good friend of the court docket” amicus temporary apply in state and federal courts.

Dewar had beforehand labored as an appellate and trial-level lawyer at Ropes & Grey, was a civil rights advocate on the Public Curiosity Regulation Middle of Philadelphia, and served as a legislation clerk for Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court docket, Choose William Fletcher of the U.S. Court docket of Appeals, and U.S. District Court docket Choose Louis Pollak. She is a graduate of Harvard Faculty and the Yale Regulation College and has a grasp’s diploma from the College of Cambridge.

Earlier than Healey resigned as lawyer common to be inaugurated as governor final January, she appointed Dewar as first assistant lawyer common. That transfer put Dewar in place to function performing lawyer common between Healey’s Jan. 5 resignation and Lawyer Common Andrea Campbell’s Jan. 18 inauguration.

When Dewar is seated on the SJC, it is going to be the primary time since December 2020 that the excessive court docket will embody any justice not nominated by Gov. Charlie Baker. The Swampscott Republican crammed all seven seats on the SJC throughout his two phrases in workplace.

And whereas Dewar will probably be Healey’s first imprint on the SJC, she is not going to be the Arlington Democrat’s final. Justice David Lowy plans to resign from the SJC on Feb. 3 for a job on the College of Massachusetts, making a emptiness for which Healey has not but made a nomination.

From nomination to affirmation, Dewar’s course of took simply a couple of month however the holidays fell proper in the midst of that timeline.

The Supreme Judicial Court docket Nominating Fee is processing potential nominees to exchange Lowy and “continues to work diligently to fill the second emptiness,” a Healey spokesperson mentioned Wednesday.

Early departures may open up further SJC seats, however the subsequent assured emptiness is not going to arrive till Justice Scott Kafker turns 70 in April 2029, greater than 5 years and a gubernatorial election from now.

Councilors dug into authorized matters with Dewar at her affirmation listening to, however others selected to spotlight the private facet of the nominee. Healey mentioned she was sure that Dewar can be “an incredible asset” to the SJC.

“It could be straightforward to underestimate this nominee. Bessie Dewar is a stunning individual. She is caring, type, empathetic, demonstrates super compassion. She’s a loving mom to her kids and a loyal spouse to her husband. She may precisely be described as soft-spoken, participating, welcoming and well mannered. She has a youthful and contagious vitality. She’s glorious at constructing consensus,” the governor mentioned. “I don’t suppose I’d be exaggerating if I mentioned that everybody she has ever labored with completely respects her and loves her.”

Justin Steele, who met Dewar 25 years in the past after they each volunteered throughout faculty to show in the course of the evenings on the Suffolk County Home of Correction, mentioned he’s “amazed at how Bessie is ready to concurrently work so arduous at her job and nonetheless make a lot time for her household, her buddies, and for neighborhood engagement.”

“Bessie impressed my youngsters to hitch her for neighborhood operating occasions, Bessie’s out in entrance of Again Bay Station promoting Woman Scout cookies along with her daughters, and Bessie is energetic in her daughter’s college,” he mentioned. “Bessie is deeply conscious of the super accountability of her position, representing the residents of the commonwealth as solicitor common. However I can not consider anybody who may method that position with as a lot humility as Bessie does. She is simply so right down to Earth.”

Steele mentioned his spouse obtained a textual content message from a good friend when Dewar’s nomination was within the newspaper saying, “I virtually didn’t acknowledge her. I’ve solely met her sporting overalls and along with her bike.”

The nominee shared a few of her private self with the council, too. She mentioned that she met her husband “at a dance-off” and talked about how a lot she values the lifeless finish road the place she and her household stay in Jamaica Plain, “the place individuals of all completely different ages and backgrounds come collectively on our little circle to speak and play and have a good time one another’s holidays and help one another.”

[Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct Justice David Lowy’s name.]