December 2008

Today’s Boston Globe reports that Governor Deval Patrick will nominate Superior Court Judge Ralph Gants to the seat on the Supreme Judicial Court now vacated by Justice John Greaney. This is a great nomination – Judge Gants is truly a superstar of the Massachusetts Superior Court – without question one of the best, if not the best, minds on the state trial court. He has reportedly been on the “short list” of potential nominees for the last few weeks, and there was little question in my mind that he was the outstanding choice on that list. I expect his nomination to the SJC to be approved by the legislature in a heart beat. But, Judge Gants’ nomination to the SJC leaves the Business Litigation Session with a huge loss. Judge Gants was the de facto number two judge in that session (the “BLS2″ session) before Judge Allen Van Gestel’s retirement last year, and he has been the presiding judge of the two-judge session since then. At the BLS Judge Gants has been known as a smart (very smart), no BS judge. He has a high energy level, is on top of his docket and is always prepared for complex motions. He is able to cut quickly to the core issues in cases before him, is polite but firm with counsel, and can turn out strong written decisions soon after oral…