Romney names new chief justice of Appeals Court

A state judge who oversaw a war crimes tribunal in East Timor was nominated by Governor Mitt Romney yesterday to serve as chief justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court.

Romney's nomination of Phillip Rapoza , a grandson of Portuguese immigrants who has been a state judge since 1990, still must be approved by the Governor's Council, but members of the Portuguese community praised Romney's bid, saying that Rapoza represents a long standing cultural tradition of tenacity.

``He's a reference for the Portuguese community," said Manuela Bairos , consul general for Portugal in Boston. ``Sometimes we feel that the community doesn't have the visibility we deserve. If you work hard you can achieve what you deserve, and this is an example of that."

Rapoza, 56, graduated from Cornell University Law School and started his legal career as a Suffolk County prosecutor.

He spent eight years as an associate justice for the Massachusetts Superior Court and has been an associate justice of the Appeals Court since 1998.

``He's kind of seen the trial court from all angles," said David Yas , a lawyer and the publisher of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. ``That's worth a lot to judges. They really think he's paid his dues. For Governor Romney, it's a safe pick because he's a respected guy."

Rapoza declined to be interviewed yesterday, but in a written statement he thanked Romney and said he welcomed ``this new opportunity to be of service to the court and the Commonwealth."

Rapoza headed the United Nations Special Panels for Serious Crimes, a tribunal established to prosecute human rights violations during East Timor's battle for independence.

In 2002, Rapoza was bestowed the rank of commander in the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator, the highest civilian honor in his ancestral homeland.

In a statement, Manuel Louro , the New Bedford chapter president of the Prince Henry Society of Massachusetts, wrote: ``As a member of the Portuguese community I am especially proud of his accomplishments and of his new appointment by the governor. History dictates that he should serve in that capacity with much success."

Relatives and attorneys who know Rapoza said he keeps Portuguese artifacts in his office and his cultural pride runs deep.

Rapoza's grandparents immigrated to Massachusetts in the early 1900s and worked in mills and factories in New Bedford before opening a neighborhood grocery store. Growing up in Dartmouth, Rapoza always visited local bookstores, studied hard, and never backed down from expressing his opinion, relatives said.

``Even when he was in high school, he wrote letters to the editor of the Standard-Times," said his younger sister, Jennifer Clarke , 43, of New Bedford, in a telephone interview yesterday.

``He had no problem speaking out for what he believed in. He has always had a true sense of right and wrong and justice."

The 25-member Appeals Court sits in three-judge panels. He replaces the current chief justice, Christopher J. Armstrong , who has been chief justice of the state's second-highest court since 2000 and reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 tomorrow.

``Over a distinguished legal career, Judge Rapoza has made public service his top priority," Romney said in a written statement. ``He enjoys a sterling reputation in legal circles, and it is my hope that he will continue his service as Chief of the Appeals Court."

Russell Nichols can be reached at rnichols@globe.com.