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Boston's Morning Newsletter
What to expect as Healey's SJC pick and former partner faces the Governor's Council
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
By the looks of the two-week forecast, it seems like we have a better chance of getting hit by space junk than an actual snowstorm this winter. Here’s what else to watch out for today:
All eyes on… the Governor’s Council? Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s decision to nominate appeals court judge — and former longtime partner — Gabrielle Wolohojian to the state’s Supreme Judicial Court has sparked a range of opinions, from the local legal community’s nodding approval to condemnation from the state GOP. But today, the nomination will go before the people whose opinions matter most on the subject: The eight members of the Governor’s Council. During this morning’s nomination hearing, the Council is expected to question Wolohojian on everything, from her qualifications to her past 12-year relationship with the governor.
- The typically under-the-radar Council has final say on the governor’s judicial nominees, but this hearing is just for asking questions. They likely won’t vote on Wolohojian’s appointment until next month’s meeting. Nominations need a simple majority, and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll gets to break any ties.
- What to expect: The Governor’s Council has rarely rejected any judicial nominations in decades (though it happened several times to former Gov. Deval Patrick, especially after his lieutenant governor resigned). Several Governor’s Council members have already signaled support for Wolohojian, as my WBUR colleagues and the Boston Herald recently reported. Still, The Boston Globe said at least two councilors plan to ask Wolohojian about cases in which she would consider recusing herself.
On the trail: Sen. Elizabeth Warren officially has a 2024 challenger. Republican John Deaton — a former U.S. Marine, lawyer and cryptocurrency investor — announced his Senate campaign yesterday. He launched his bid with a video highlighting his hardscrabble upbringing in Detroit. (Politico has more colorful details on Deaton’s background here.)
- His pitch: In his video, Deaton said he’s running for Senate to take on “greedy corporations” and “Washington insiders” to address affordable health care, inflation and the migrant crisis.
- Between the lines: Deaton has also frequently criticized Warren’s crypto-skepticism and moved from Rhode Island to Swansea last month after wondering aloud about confronting her on the topic.
- Meanwhile: Warren’s office countered Deaton’s big news with a report detailing over $50 billion in federal funding that her team says she’s helped secure for Massachusetts during her two terms.
Leave (Get Out): Meanwhile, Healey is calling on troubled Steward Health Care to leave the hospital business in Massachusetts. In a letter yesterday to Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre, Healey said it’s time for new owners to take over the for-profit health care company “as soon as possible” and gave them three days to share financial records. (Health care companies in Massachusetts are required to file financial disclosures, but Steward has long kept their records secret.)
- Flashback: In 2017, Steward sued Massachusetts in an attempt to keep its business records secret. While a Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled last year the state does have the authority to demand the company’s financial statements, Steward is appealing the decision.
Know when to fold ’em: Cathy Judd-Stein, the chair of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, announced yesterday that she plans to retire when her current five-year term expires a month from today, on March 21. The decision means Healey — who thanked Judd-Stein for leading the state’s gambling sector through the pandemic and the launch of sports wagering — will get to appoint her first gaming commissioner as governor. (Technically, Healey already made one appointment as attorney general.)
“Deeply concerning”: Police are investigating allegations of racist bullying at Southwick Regional School in Western Massachusetts, including an alleged mock “slave auction” that some students held on social media involving their Black classmates. The Springfield chapter of the NAACP says the bullying is evidence that “racism is being passed down from generation to generation.” The Hampden District Attorney’s office is also investigating the allegations.
P.S.— Spending school vacation week in the city? Boston’s annual Children’s Winter Festival kicks off this morning on the Common. The free festival runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with music, giveaways, winter activities, treats and crafts. (And you can see our list of other free things to do with kiddos around town this week here.)
