Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday nominated two veteran court officials — one of whom has area ties and helps oversee the local juvenile court system — to judicial posts.
Kelli DiLisio, who is the first assistant clerk for Hampshire/Franklin Juvenile Court, has been tapped to serve as an associate justice of the juvenile court, according to a release from Baker’s office, while Joseph Ditkoff of Brookline has been nominated as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.
“The decades of experience in public service that Joseph Ditkoff and Kelli DiLisio will bring to the respective courts and the people of the Commonwealth make them exceptional candidates,” Baker said in a statement. “Both are smart and thoughtful individuals and I look forward to the Governor’s Council’s consideration of their nominations for these important appointments.”
Previously, DiLisio has worked as an assistant district attorney in the Hampden district attorney’s office as well as a supervising trial attorney in district court. She was also supervisor of the Grand Jury and Intake and Screening Unit from 1986 to 1997, according to the announcement.
DiLisio, who graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1983 and Western New England College School of Law in 1986, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The Juvenile Court Department, which comprises 41 judges, spans 40 locations across Massachusetts. The Appeals Court, in Boston, is the intermediate appellate court to which most appeals from the Massachusetts trial courts and a number of administrative bodies are made. The court has one chief and 24 associate justices.
The past three years, Ditkoff has been general counsel of Suffolk District Court. Previously, he served as deputy legal counsel in the Suffolk district attorney’s office, according to the announcement. Ditkoff is also an editor and case summary contributor for the Massachusetts Law Review as well as a Brookline town meeting member. He graduated from Yale College in 1993 and Harvard Law School in 1996.
Those who apply for judicial openings are vetted by the Judicial Nominating Commission, followed by the governor’s nomination. The nominations then go before the Governor’s Council for “advice and consent,” according to Baker’s announcement.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who is an ex-officio member of the Governor’s Council, said in a statement: “I am pleased with the nomination of these two distinguished attorneys who have a deep respect for the rule of law and the role of the judiciary along with the temperament and character to serve the courts exceptionally well should they be confirmed.”