Moreover Governor Romney has been dedicated to women Judiciary Nominees, note the following press release from April 26, 2006
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Department
State House Boston, MA 02133
(617) 725-4000
MITT ROMNEY
GOVERNOR
KERRY HEALEY
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 26, 2006
CONTACT:
Eric Fehrnstrom
Corbie Kiernan
(617) 725-4025
ROMNEY NOMINATES FOUR WOMEN TO JUDICIARY
Governor Mitt Romney announced today that he has nominated four women to serve as judges in the Massachusetts trial court system, the largest number of female candidates ever brought forward at one time.
Romney has made the appointment of women to the state’s courts a priority, and recently asked his Judicial Nominating Council to bring forward the names of more female and minority applicants. If these four women are all confirmed by the Governor’s Council, women will represent 36% of the appointments made by Romney for judicial office, which includes judges and clerk magistrate positions.
“I am pleased with the outstanding qualifications of the individuals I have nominated to the bench,” Romney said. “They have the capability, the qualifications and the experience to be fair and balanced jurists.”
Nominated were:
* Kathe M. Tuttman of Andover, as Associate Justice of the Superior Court;
* Tracy L. Lyons of Marblehead, as Associate Justice of the Brighton division of the Boston Municipal Court;
* Therese M. Wright of West Barnstable, as Associate Justice of the Edgartown District Court; and,
* Merita A. Hopkins of Boston, as Associate Justice of the Superior Court.
Tuttman has served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Essex County District Attorney’s Office since 1989. During that time, she has held various positions, including Director of the Family Crimes and Sexual Assault Unit, Superior Court Prosecutor and Lead Prosecutor for Lawrence District Court’s Domestic Violence Unit. She has also served on the Pediatric Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Advisory Group for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Tuttman graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University in 1974 and received her law degree from Suffolk University Law School, cum laude, in 1988.