Patrick hails jurist as ideal pick for SJC

Governor Deval Patrick introduced Suffolk Superior Court Judge Margot G. Botsford yesterday as his first nominee to the state's highest court.

If confirmed by the Governor's Council, Botsford will fill the vacancy on the Supreme Judicial Court created when Justice Martha B. Sosman died in March. Patrick said he was looking for someone with a respect for precedent and an understanding that the constitution is a "living document."

"Judge Botsford's brilliance as a jurist on the Superior Court and as a prosecutor and litigator of civil matters, combined with her deep empathy for people, make her an ideal choice to serve the Commonwealth," Patrick said at a State House news conference.

Botsford, an 18-year veteran of the Superior Court, is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The Jamaica Plain resident has worked as an assistant attorney general and a Middlesex County prosecutor, and served as chairwoman of the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Botsford, 60, said a clerkship with SJC Justice Francis J. Quirico 34 years ago persuaded her to become a judge. "The opportunity to serve as a justice on the Supreme Judicial Court has been one of my long-held dreams," she said.

At the news conference, Botsford paid tribute to Sosman.

"She has left very large shoes for me to try to walk in," she said.

Sharing the stage with several family members, Botsford said she would follow the precedent of the court's 4-to-3 ruling in 2003 that legalized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, but declined to say how she would have ruled had she been on the court at the time.

Botsford said she recently officiated a same-sex marriage for friends. "That was an experience that made me realize how critically important this right is to many, many people," she said.

The Governor's Council is expected to set a date for Botsford's confirmation hearing Wednesday.

Jack Cinquegrana, president of the Boston Bar Association, and the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts released statements praising the nomination.

"We have high hopes for this administration and plan to fulfill our promise to work with it to continue to ensure that well-qualified women apply for and attain these most important positions in public service," the Women's Bar Association said.

The Massachusetts Bar Association gave similar support. "Botsford has an unfailing commitment to the administration of justice, and we hope this nomination, Patrick's first, is indicative of the type of jurists that he will continue to nominate throughout his administration," the association said.

April Simpson can be reached at asimpson@globe.com.