# For Patrick, another SJC opening



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Cowin to retire, 4th to leave since '06*










Judith Cowin was appointed to the SJC in 1999.

By Jonathan Saltzman

Globe Staff / February 1, 2011

Judith A. Cowin, the no-nonsense former prosecutor who became the third woman appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court, announced yesterday that she will retire in early April, giving Governor Deval Patrick another opportunity to put his stamp on the state's highest court.
"I have been privileged to serve the people of Massachusetts,'' Cowin said in a statement. "I will remember these years with a conviction that the work is of great importance and with an abiding affection for the colleagues with whom I shared it.''
Her retirement means that Patrick will soon be able to appoint his fourth justice to the seven-member court. He also recently elevated a veteran justice, Roderick L. Ireland, to chief justice, making Ireland the first African-American to lead the nation's oldest appeals court.

The Democratic governor will also probably have at least one more opportunity to appoint another member of the court. Ireland, 66, turns 70 - the mandatory retirement age for judges - in December 2014. That will open a seat on the court and also necessitate the appointment of a new chief.

Full Story:
For Patrick, another SJC opening - The Boston Globe


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## cc3915 (Mar 26, 2004)

*Gov.: Empathy, scholarship key for Mass. SJC pick*

BOSTON-Gov. Deval Patrick says he values empathy, a scholarship of the law and a proper demeanor when weighing potential judicial nominees.

Patrick said Wednesday that while legal rigor is important, it's also key that judges conduct themselves in a professional manner while on the bench.

The Democratic governor has been able to leave a deep legacy on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Gov.: Empathy, scholarship key for Mass. SJC pick - Boston.com


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## OfficerObie59 (Sep 14, 2007)

Eh, FWIW, she's 68 now and Deval would still get to pick her replacement when she hit the magic age of 70. The enivitable just got pushed up a year or so.


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