Gants unanimously confirmed as next chief justice

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The Governor’s Council today unanimously voted to confirm Supreme Judicial Court Justice Ralph D. Gants as the next chief justice by a vote of 9-0.

“The council worked really hard on this appointment,” Gov. Deval L. Patrick said. “They were very, very thorough. They appreciated, clearly, that they were presented with a decision about the leader of the third branch of government, and they took that very seriously. I appreciate the vote, and I appreciate the fact that it was unanimous.”

Gants will succeed Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland, the court’s first black chief justice who has held the post since December 2010. Ireland will not reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 until December, but announced in March he would vacate his post July 25 to give the outgoing governor an opportunity and ample time to pick a successor. Gants’ tenure could prove much longer; he won’t turn 70 until September 2024.

Council member Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney thanked Patrick for nominating a current member of the SJC to succeed Ireland.

“I believe this is not a position to learn on the job,” she said.
Councilor Jennie L. Caissie, the council’s only Republican, noted that, while she doesn’t agree with every opinion Gants has written, “I don’t need to do that to support this nomination.”

As is increasingly becoming the norm for judicial nominees, Gants was subjected to a grueling confirmation process before the council. His hearing lasted three full days over three weeks. Ireland’s hearing, by comparison, lasted just one day.

A Harvard Law School graduate, Gants began his legal career as a special assistant to former FBI director William H. Webster in the early 1980s. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston in 1983 and served as chief of the Public Corruption Division from 1988 to 1991, when he left to enter private practice at Palmer & Dodge, rising to partner in 1994.

Gants was appointed to the Superior Court bench in 1997 by former Gov. William Weld and later become a judge in the court’s Business Litigation Session. He joined the SJC in January 2009.

Councilor Michael J. Albano said he found it “interesting and fascinating” that Gants received judicial nominations from both Republican (Weld) and Democratic (Patrick) governors.

Patrick will be leaving quite a mark on the SJC. With Gants’ confirmation, he now gets to begin the process of picking someone to take his spot as an associate justice. He said he will be looking for someone who will, “above all, see the people behind the cases.”

“There will be a very tight vetting process,” Patrick said. “I have a pool in mind. I’ve talked about certain criteria and certain candidates. We’ve narrowed it down.”