In a recent ceremony tinged with historic significance, Elizabeth N. Dewar has been sworn in as Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston. Governor Maura Healey administered the ceremonial Oath of Office. In remarks captured by Mass.gov, Healey lauded Dewar for her "distinguished career in law and public service" and her ability to "bring people together," while placing "justice and the rule of law at the center of her decision making."
Justice Dewar, who took the official oath on January 16, filled the seat vacated by retiring Associate Justice Elspeth B. Cypher. Reflecting on the significance of the occasion, Dewar expressed her appreciation for the collective presence at the ceremony, saying, "After the past few pandemic years, I do not for a moment take for granted our being able to be together today." Notably, ceremonies had been halted in 2020, preventing similar gatherings for Chief Justice Budd and Justices Wendlandt and Georges, as reported by Mass.gov.
The newly justice emphasized the vulnerability of judges working in isolation but also underscored the necessity of occasionally breaking new ground. "I will never be 'going it alone' in the most vulnerable sense in the years to come, thanks to so many of you here today," she told attendees, acknowledging the support she anticipates from members of the bar and their pivotal role in shaping the court's decisions.
Dewar, previously the Commonwealth’s State Solicitor, has lawyered both in private practice and as a civil rights advocate, and she's clerked at all three levels of the federal judiciary, including a stint for the Honorable Stephen G. Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court. Her extensive legal background was a constant highlight during the ceremony, which featured, as a master of ceremonies, Supreme Judicial Court Justice Serge Georges, Jr., and speakers such as retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer and retired Supreme Judicial Court Justice Margot Botsford.
Adding to the ceremony's fanfare, Deputy State Solicitor David C. Kravitz performed a musical interlude before a crowd that Dewar expressed heartfelt gratitude toward. The new judge, having earned degrees from Harvard College, the University of Cambridge, and the Yale Law School, assumes her position amid expectations to continue the Supreme Judicial Court's long tradition of jurisprudential innovation and state constitutional interpretation, as highlighted in her address and echoed by Mass.gov.
