Photo Credit: Appeals Court
Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt
The Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) strongly supports Governor Charlie Baker’s historic nomination of Appeals Court Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt to serve as a justice on the Supreme Judicial Court. If confirmed by the Governor’s Council, Justice Wendlandt would be the first Latinx justice in the history of the SJC.
"Governor Baker’s nomination of Justice Wendlandt is a historic and smart choice for the SJC and the commonwealth, which will benefit both from her perspectives as a Latina woman and also as an appellate jurist and former intellectual property litigator," said Massachusetts Bar Association President Denise I. Murphy. "Justice Wendlandt’s strong background in engineering and life sciences will be especially valuable as Massachusetts continues to grow its stature nationally as a leading biotech hub."
Justice Wendlandt currently serves on the board of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Law Review, the longest continually published law review in the nation, and also on the standing committee of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Tiered Community Mentoring Program (TCM). Based in Boston and Worcester, the TCM program matches practicing lawyers with students from high school, college and law school with a focus on building a diverse mentoring network.
Murphy added: "Our Tiered Community Mentoring Program is an effective pipeline for a diverse and inclusive legal profession, and we at the MBA are most grateful for Justice Wendlandt’s support. As an active program volunteer, Justice Wendlandt has championed its goal of increasing the diversity of the profession while serving as a role model and mentor for urban students, including students of color. We firmly believe that her well-deserved selection as the first Latinx justice of the SJC will continue to inspire students and lawyers of color once she is confirmed."
This statement was also issued as a press release on Nov. 4 after the governor’s announcement.