News Releases
October 28, 2020

BBA Applauds Nomination of Kimberly S. Budd as Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court

Press Release

Boston Bar Association President Martin F. Murphy issued the following statement regarding Governor Charlie Baker’s nomination of Kimberly S. Budd as Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC):

The Boston Bar Association applauds Governor Baker’s selection of Justice Kimberly S. Budd as his nominee to replace the late Ralph D. Gants as Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court — Massachusetts’ highest state court and the oldest appellate court in continuous existence in the Western Hemisphere.

Justice Budd’s career, including her 11 years on the bench, demonstrates her extraordinary legal acumen, her deep commitment to justice for all, and the careful attention she gives to every case that comes before her — all of which will serve her well in leading a court whose decisions affect the lives of all of us in so many ways. We look forward to the Governor’s Council’s review of her nomination and her confirmation by that body.

Justice Budd, who served on the BBA Council from 2003 to 2006 and the Boston Bar Journal’s Board of Editors from 2012 to 2014, was nominated to the Court by Governor Baker in 2016. Before that appointment, she served as a Superior Court judge, appointed by Governor Deval Patrick in 2009 to fill a seat that had opened upon Justice Gants’ elevation to the SJC.