Gov. Maura Healey this week delivered a ceremonial administration of the Oath of Office in the Great Hall of the John Adams Courthouse, swearing in Hon. Elizabeth N. Dewar as associate justice of the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC).
As part of her remarks, Dewar said, “Judges are at their most vulnerable when they go it alone — whether deciding a case based on an issue that was not briefed by the parties or departing from all existing precedent and authority.” She noted that “this is not to say that a judge or court should not have the courage to break new ground. The Supreme Judicial Court itself, as we all know, has so famously, for centuries, and continuing to today, broken new ground and led our entire country to a greater understanding of our constitutional rights and liberties.” She then stated that she would “never be ‘going it alone’ in the most vulnerable sense in the years to come, thanks to so many of you here today.”
In addition to Healey, speakers included Lt. Gov. Kimberly Driscoll, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer and retired SJC Justice Margot Botsford. SJC Justice Serge Georges Jr. served as master of ceremonies, and a musical interlude was performed by Deputy State Solicitor David C. Kravitz.
Dewar was administered the official oath on Jan. 16. She filled the seat vacated by SJC Associate Justice Elspeth B. Cypher, who retired from the court on Jan. 15.
Prior to her appointment to the SJC, Dewar had served since 2016 as the commonwealth’s state solicitor. In her role as state solicitor, she supervised the briefing and arguing of appeals by attorneys throughout the Attorney General’s Office in the SJC as well as other state and federal courts, advised the attorney general on exercising her authority to decide whether to appeal adverse decisions, and led the office’s “friend of the court” amicus brief practice, among other responsibilities.
Click here to read the full announcement.