STATE HOUSE — The Governor's Council on Wednesday confirmed Kimberly Budd to a seat on the Supreme Judicial Court, marking a complete sweep for Gov. Charlie Baker in his first bid at reshaping the state's high court in the face of multiple judicial retirements.
A Gov. Deval Patrick appointee who has served as a Superior Court justice since 2009, Budd is currently a regional administrative justice responsible for overseeing the administration and management of criminal business in Middlesex County.
STATE HOUSE — With the stroke of a pen Wednesday morning, Gov. Charlie Baker authorized $500 million in new state infrastructure spending, $45 million for contaminated site cleanups and $4.5 million for a cybersecurity and data center.
The roughly $1 billion economic development law completes the work on major bills highlighted by the governor as priorities for this legislative session. Five of six items identified by Baker as must-finish policy pieces became law in recent weeks, although Senate President Stan Rosenberg said last week that in the rush to write those bills lawmakers lost an opportunity make "good bills" even better.
