| June 27, 2008 -- The Anchor, Diocese of Fall River, MA 'Left-leaning extremism' radicalizing court system By GAIL BESSE
Anchor Correspondent BOSTON – The governor’s appointment of lesbian activist Maureen Monks as a family court judge reveals a "not-so-hidden agenda" of left-leaning extremism that’s further radicalizing the Massachusetts court system. That’s the assessment of attorney Mary-Ellen Manning, Governor’s Council District 5 representative. Manning, a Peabody Democrat, is a fourth-term veteran of this elected body. The eight-member council must advise and consent to all gubernatorial appointments. On June 13, Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Monks, 49, of Cambridge, to the Middlesex County Family and Probate Court despite a disputed vote. Monks is the former co-chair and founding member of the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association and a partner in The Women’s Law Collective in Cambridge. She is pro bono counsel for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD), which pushed the case that led to the Massachusetts court ruling "redefining" marriage and which is now pushing "transgender rights." "Paramount to the running of the Family Court is the public’s perception of fair treatment. The battle between the sexes is waged everyday there," Manning said in her opposing statement. "We must not appoint judges who are prone to side with one gender over the other." District One Councilor Carole Fiola of Fall River and District 7 Councilor Thomas Foley of Worcester also opposed Monks’ appointment. " I thought her background was slanted toward just representing women," Fiola said in a phone interview. "She’s somewhat of an activist in her professional and private life. You need balance in a family court." During her May 21 interview, Monks told councilors she would remain objective on the bench. District 3 Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney of Watertown first voted for Monks in a 5-2 voice vote taken before Manning arrived at the May 27 meeting. Manning contends that Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray deliberately opened and adjourned the brief meeting before its scheduled time. When Manning did arrive and all councilors signed the official record, Devaney switched and recorded her vote as no. A 4-4 vote would have stopped the confirmation, unless the lieutenant governor voted to break the tie. But Patrick went by the voice vote. His spokeswoman Becky Deusser said June 19 that the administration determined "the affirmative vote of five Councilors stands. This vote is reflected in the Governor’s Council’s minutes and its taped recording of the assembly." Council Secretary George Cronin said Devaney’s change was disallowed and Manning’s, which was recorded after the meeting officially adjourned, was not counted. Manning contends Patrick resorted to "vote- shaving" to push his nominee through. She said what concerned her was Monks’ attempt during the appointment process to play down her feminist agenda: "embellishing" her resume, omitting the fact that she had taught same-sex marriage concepts to high school students and giving inaccurate figures on how few men she had represented in divorce cases. In March, Patrick appointed another major lesbian activist, former state senator Cheryl Jacques, as a judge on the Industrial Accidents Board. The governor’s council voted 6-2 to confirm her, with Manning again dissenting but Fiola voting yes. On her Web site, Jacques describes herself as "A national leader in the gay civil rights movement." She was president of the national homosexual group Human Rights Campaign, which pressures corporations to adopt gay activists’ demands and lobbies Congress for pro-homosexual legislation. She worked to defeat the national marriage protection amendment and as state legislator helped get funding for the Governor's Commission for Gay and Lesbian Youth. "Having a hardcore political activist as a judge will make for a very fearful situation for both businesses and individuals," noted the traditional values group MassResistance.org. "In the past, Jacques made no effort to conceal her disgust for the pro-family position." The Brockton Enterprise editorialized that Jacques had "little to no experience in the workers compensation field in which she would handle cases" and speculated that her nomination "looked like a payoff" for her work on Patrick’s 2006 campaign. In 2007 Patrick appointed Suffolk Superior Court Judge Margot Botsford, the wife of a campaign contributor, to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Judicial Court. The Boston Globe reported that Botsford, 61, had "strong connections with the liberal Democratic establishment." Her husband, S. Stephen Rosenfeld, served as chief of staff and legal counsel to former Gov. Michael Dukakis. Both Manning and Fiola were among the three negative minority votes against her. The Globe reported that its sources expected Botsford "to reflect Patrick's liberal positions on controversial social issues such as abortion, the death penalty, and gay marriage, as well as on civil liberties." "We just could not get straight answers about her philosophy," Manning said in a June 19 interview. "Her husband had given contributions to Patrick as a candidate. She seemed like too much of an insider." Fiola’s reasoning was different. "I thought her previous rulings were sometimes slanted, and that she went for lighter sentencing when given that discretion." All court-related appointments in the state must come before the Governor’s Council for review. "It’s a needed process," said Fiola, who added that the council will now record its votes prior to adjourning its meetings. "It seems I’m voting ‘no’ more often under this administration," Manning said. She also opposed confirmation of Amherst attorney Linda Fidnick, whom Patrick appointed associate justice on the Hampshire County Probate and Family Court in February. "I thought she took very hard line positions in her role as a divorce advocate. Family courts should be trying to keep families together," said Manning. "Maybe in the past the system did have too many white male judges, but it’s not progress to replace them with female judges with an agenda. It’s progress to appoint people who are going to be fair." | 
