BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker's influence on the Supreme Judicial Court was seen for the first time Tuesday as the court returned from its summer recess with three new justices hand-picked by Baker.
Justices Kimberly Budd, Frank Gaziano and David Lowy — plucked from the Superior Court ranks by Baker and confirmed by the Governor's Council this summer — took their seats on the bench Tuesday morning as the SJC prepared to hear cases. But not until Thursday will the complete seven-judge court sit in full for a complete day of hearings.
Democratic lawmakers in Maine may have missed their chance to publicly censure Gov. Paul LePage, the firebrand Republican leader who made headlines last month for leaving an expletive-laden voicemail on a political foe's phone and claiming the state's drug problems are chiefly fueled by minorities coming across the state line.
According to a Bangor Daily News report, a "partial alliance" involving elected Democrats and Senate President Mike Thibodeau, R-Winterport, dissolved ahead of Labor Day weekend, effectively canceling the opportunity to hold a special legislative session that would have given lawmakers a public forum to condemn LePage.
