- The Democrat announced her choice for the highest court on Wednesday
- The two started dating in 2013, when Haley was running for attorney general
- They were no longer together by the time she became governor in 2022
Democratic Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has nominated her ex-girlfriend to a role on the state Supreme Court, sparking backlash from critics.
The lawmaker on Wednesday announced her pick for the highest court: Gabrielle Wolohojian, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court, her former live-in partner for several years.
The two began dating publicly in 2013, when Haley was running for attorney general. They had split by the time she became governor in 2022, but apparently remain amicable.
“It is deeply inappropriate for the governor to nominate to the Massachusetts Supreme Court an individual with whom she had a long-term romantic relationship in the past,” Republican Party Chairwoman Amy Carnevale told CBS News. “This nomination clearly demonstrates a lack of accountability inherent in one-party rule.”
The Boston SphereThe governor’s liberal editorial board has also disapproved of the governor’s choice. Haley is accused of poor judgment and says her decision to nominate her ex is “just terrible optics.”
Healey is pictured with her longtime partner, Gabrielle Wolohojian, in an undated photo
Wolohojian and Haley began dating publicly in 2013 but had broken up by 2022
The Globe notes that Wolohojian is qualified for the job, but points out that Haley also nominated someone from her inner circle, Bessie Dewar, to the Supreme Court in December after selecting him as attorney when she was attorney general.
Critics have suggested that Healy’s appointments could give the impression that she wants her legal staff to make statements that align with her own politics.
Despite the outrage, Haley stood by her choice last week, saying she was proud of Wolohojian’s nomination and that the judge had the unanimous support of the Judicial Nominating Commission.
“There’s no one qualified anymore. “I feel very comfortable saying that… Of course, I have had a personal relationship with Judge Wolohojian for many years, so I also happen to know something about her character, integrity and the kind of person she is,” Healey said.
“I don’t want the fact that she had a personal relationship with me to deprive the Commonwealth of someone best suited for the job.”
Wolohojian, whose appointment is expected to be confirmed, will have to decide if and when she will recuse herself from cases involving Haley and her office.
The Globe’s editors wrote: “None of us need to know the circumstances of Healey and Wolohojian’s split, but it beggars belief that the judge has no ‘personal bias,’ positive or negative, against her ex.”
Maura Healey, 51, became the first openly lesbian governor in the US on Tuesday evening
The Governor’s Council, an eight-member elected body responsible for approving judicial appointments, will hold a hearing on Wolohojian’s appointment on February 21.
Haley will become the country’s first openly lesbian governor in 2022 and is currently in a relationship with Joanna Lydgate.
She flipped the seat of Republican control for eight years, comfortably defeating Geoff Diehl.
Healey was elected along with her lieutenant governor candidate, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll. Together, they became the first all-female team to serve as governor and lieutenant governor.