Judge Dalila Argaez Wendlandt officially joined the Supreme Judicial Court on Friday in the second swearing-in ceremony for the high court this week.
Gov. Charlie Baker swore in Chief Justice Kimberly Budd on Tuesday in the State House library, then returned to the same spot on Friday for Wendlandt's ceremony. He could soon be back there again: a third SJC nominee, Boston Municipal Court Judge Serge Georges Jr., is expected to be confirmed by the Governor's Council next week, and Baker has said he'd like to have the SJC bench back to its full seven-person lineup by the end of the year.
Wendlandt is the first Hispanic judge to serve on the Supreme Judicial Court. On Friday, she thanked Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and her colleagues and family for supporting her.
A former Appeals Court judge, Wendlandt is a New Orleans native who earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before embarking on her legal career.
Polito said she had been thinking on her drive into the State House Friday morning that an engineer who graduated from MIT "could be anywhere in the world solving problems." She said she's glad Wendlandt is here, where she can use her critical thinking skills to solve major issues facing the courts.
"I hope she puts some of that technology knowledge to use, too," Baker said.
