The Massachusetts Bar Association is pleased that Gov. Deval
Patrick has nominated Appeals Court Associate Justice Barbara A.
Lenk to the Supreme Judicial Court. Lenk would fill the vacancy
created by the retirement of Associate Justice Judith A. Cowin.
Lenk would be the Court's first openly gay justice.
"Justice Lenk has stood out among appellate judges as a brilliant
intellect. Her opinions and writings have been consistently relied
on and most cited by the Supreme Judicial Court," MBA President
Denise Squillante said. "Justice Lenk's personal experiences and
nontraditional family background will bring much needed empathy to
the Court as it grapples with the growing complex and diverse
societal issues facing the bench. Litigants and the public will
have a jurist that profoundly understands their struggles."
A long-time MBA member, Lenk previously served on the MBA's
Judicial Administration Section Council. Lenk was appointed to the
Appeals Court in 1995 by Gov. William Weld, who had appointed her
to the Superior Court two years earlier. Previously, Lenk was a
partner at Brown, Rudnick, Freed & Gesmer (now Brown Rudnick),
where she began her legal career in 1979. She is a trustee of
Western New England College and a member of the Boston Inn of
Court.