None of the seven justices on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court — the state's highest court — are from the western part of the commonwealth. Governor Charlie Baker has so far appointed four of the court's seven justices, but none hail from west of Worcester County. Baker will have the opportunity to appoint his fifth judge to the court later this year, when current Justice Geraldine Hines reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70. Some are pushing Baker to make his next pick to the Supreme Judicial Court a western Massachusetts native -- the court has not had a western justice on the court since the retirement of former Chief Justice Roderick Ireland in 2014. Bar associations from all four of the state's western counties are making their case to Governor Baker, as is the Springfield Republican. It's published an editorial on the subject. The author, Ron Chimelis, spoke with WGBH All Things Considered host Barbara Howard and shared his thoughts on the matter.
You can read the Springfield Republican editorial encouraging Governor Baker to nominate a justice from western Massachusetts here.
