With the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court facing several pending vacancies and more on the horizon, and with the late Justice Antonin Scalia's United States Supreme Court seat vacant and already creating a showdown between President Obama and the Senate, the topic of who should fill judicial vacancies, particularly on courts of last resort, will be hot for months to come.
It is easy to see nomination battles in partisan terms – with "liberal" nominees championing liberal causes like same-sex marriage or abortion rights and "conservative" nominees pushing law and order and "slowing social progress."
BOSTON – Embattled state Sen. Brian Joyce won't seek re-election this year, announcing his plans on Twitter barely a week after FBI and IRS agents raided his Canton law office and on the same day that Milton Democrat Rep. Walter Timilty took steps to challenge Joyce if he did run again.
"I will continue to work hard for Milton and all of the district but will not seek re-election," Joyce, a Milton Democrat, said in a statement, according to the Milton Times. "I have worked hard for Milton and achieved results, while always trying to abide by the rules."
