Governor nominates 1st Latina to state's highest court

BOSTON (AP) - Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday nominated Massachusetts Appeals Court Associate Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt to fill an open seat on the state's highest court.

Wendlandt, if approved, would become the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Judicial Court that dates to 1692.

Wendlandt's nomination comes about a week after the Republican governor nominated Associate Justice Kimberly Budd to be the Supreme Judicial Court's chief justice. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to fill the seat.

Colleagues and members of the legal profession the administration talked to described Wendlandt as "brilliant, a home run, a great colleague who compromises, and has a great sense of humor," Baker said at a news conference.

Wendlandt has served on the appeals court, the state's second highest court, since 2017.

Born in New Orleans, she is the daughter of Colombian immigrants and has engineering degrees from the University of Illinois and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a law degree from Stanford University Law School.

Her nomination requires the approval by the Governor's Council.