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Boston's Morning Newsletter
What to know about this year's SJC Clerk for Suffolk County race — and what the job actually does
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
TGIF! While the clouds and showers might linger for another day, this week’s weather may well be worth the clear New England skies forecasted for the solar eclipse on Monday.
Now, if you’re done shoveling the ocean, let’s get to the news:
This summer’s hottest race is… clerk? Before November’s high-stakes general election, Massachusetts has a sleepy Sept. 3 primary on its hands, particularly for Democrats. Sen. Elizabeth Warren — who holds the only statewide office on the ballot this year — isn’t facing any major primary challengers, nor are any of the state’s nine members of Congress. So, some Democrats are turning their attention to an emerging race for a widely overlooked job: Supreme Judicial Court clerk for Suffolk County. Intrigued? No? Here’s why you should be:
- Who’s running? The race is shaping up to be a bit of a grudge match between Boston’s progressives and moderates. City Councilor Erin Murphy, one of the chamber’s most frequent adversaries of Mayor Michelle Wu, first announced her candidacy for the job last month — and quickly picked up endorsements from fellow Councilor Ed Flynn and U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch. However, Murphy was officially joined in the race this week by longtime public defense attorney Allison Cartwright, whose campaign is being run by former Wu staffers and allies, like state Sen. Lydia Edwards. Cartwright’s supporters argue the 30-year lawyer is more qualified than Murphy, a former school teacher. Murphy says her experience serving students and constituents has prepared her for the role.
- What does a clerk even do? You’ll probably recognize them as people in courtrooms who sit below the judge’s bench. Clerks are generally responsible for keeping the court’s records, running court sessions and acting as a liaison between judges and lawyers.
- What does the SJC clerk for Suffolk County do? So, the state’s top court actually has two clerks (and like the governor, they’re both currently named Maura). There’s the SJC clerk for the commonwealth — which deals with the seven-justice court’s main caseload — and then there’s the SJC clerk for Suffolk County. (Don’t confuse either with the state’s many superior court clerks.) The SJC clerk for Suffolk County works on the SJC’s single-justice sessions. That’s when just one SJC justice acts as a trial judge to review various lower court rulings. They also oversee lawyer discipline and bar admission.
- What makes it an attractive job? You get to be involved in some of the state’s top legal cases. Also, it pays well — roughly $190,00 a year. (By comparison, Boston city councilors this year will make $115,000). Most clerks hold onto the job for a long time; the outgoing clerk with the gig, Maura Doyle, was elected in 1996.
- Why should I care? “EVERY LAWYER admitted to practice law in MA goes through the Clerk,” Edwards posted on social media this week. “Also, the Clerk enforces decisions to disbar judges.” The outcome could also effect the makeup of the Boston City Council for a year at least. (If Murphy wins, last year’s fifth-place finisher in the Council’s at-large race, Bridget Nee-Walsh, would get the chance to fill her seat through the end of 2025.)
- Zoom out: Even if you’re not a resident of Boston, Chelsea, Revere or Winthrop, there may be a contested clerk’s race on your ballot this summer. As Politico reports, multiple state lawmakers are also leaving their jobs to run for country clerk.
New weekend, same shuttle sitch: Just like last weekend, the MBTA is suspending large chunks of the Red Line and Orange Line due to various projects. Shuttle buses will replace Red Line service between Broadway and North Quincy, plus the entire four-stop Ashmont branch. They’ll also replace the Orange Line between Forest Hills and Ruggles.
- Listen: T General Manager Phil Eng explained yesterday on Radio Boston why he thinks the agency’s “reset” contract to pay another $148 million for the new Red and Orange Line cars is actually a good deal — even though they won’t all arrive until 2027.
See ya, State Street: There’s a new local company sponsoring the luxury seats above home plate at Fenway Park. The Seaport-based cybersecurity firm Aura will have its name on the 1,500-seat luxury club section, previously called the State Street Pavilion.
P.S.— After nearly four years, a statewide policy in Massachusetts at least temporarily expired this week. Do you know what it was? Then take our Boston News Quiz and see how well you remember this week’s stories compared to other WBUR readers!
