BOSTON – Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday named three Superior Court judges with extensive prosecutorial backgrounds as his picks for seats on the Supreme Judicial Court, seeking to elevate experienced jurists in a rare opportunity for a governor to shape the court so early in his first term.
Baker, in a news release Tuesday, said he will nominate Superior Court Judges David Lowy, Kimberly Budd and Frank Gaziano. The nominees will have to go through a confirmation process before the Governor's Council prior to taking their seats on the top court.
BOSTON – Dealing a severe blow to legislative negotiators charged with reaching a state budget accord this month, the Baker administration disclosed Tuesday this year's state budget hole has grown larger and may reach $370 million, while estimates of revenues available for next year's budget might be off by as much as $750 million.
The administration filed an updated financial disclosure statement on Tuesday predicting for state investors that tax collections will finish the current budget year $320 million to $370 million below benchmarks, and expected tax revenues for fiscal 2017 are now likely to run $450 million to $750 million below the expectations that Baker and the House and Senate budget writers have been using all year.
