Romney nominates four to bench, including three minority women

BOSTON --Gov. Mitt Romney named four nominees to the Massachusetts trial court Wednesday, including three minority women.

Romney has come under fire for not nominating enough women or minorities to be judges. In 2005, the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts criticized Romney. During his first two years, 17 of the Republican governor's 19 nominations had been men, and only two were minorities.

Romney called each of the four nominees "highly qualified with a demonstrated commitment to public service."

"I am particularly pleased that three of today's four nominees are minority women because of the special effort we have made to increase diversity on the bench," Romney said in a written statement.

The nominees include: Stacey Fortes-White to the Peabody District Court; Sabita Singh to the District Court; Eleanor Sinnot to Boston Municipal Court; and Harry Grossman to a newly created seat on the Land Court.

Fortes-White, of Winchester, is chief of district courts in the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Singh, of Somerville, is special counsel for criminal rights enforcement in the office of the U.S. Attorney in Boston.

Sinnott, of Charlestown, is chief legal counsel for the state police. Grossman, of Marblehead, is the general counsel for the Executive Office for Administration and Finance.

Nominees to the bench must be approved by the Gov.'s Council.