Milton's Jubinville confirmed for court post

BOSTON − The Governor's Council on Tuesday confirmed one of its members, Milton lawyer Robert Jubinville, as clerk magistrate of Framingham District Court.

For the past decade, Jubinville has served on the council, which decides whether to approve judicial candidates. Gov. Charlie Baker nominated the Democrat earlier this month for the lifetime appointment, a vacant position that had not been publicly posted.

Jubinville was confirmed by a vote of 6-1, with Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney dissenting. Devaney called Jubinville "qualified" during his public interview, but said she viewed confirming a councilor to a court posting as a "conflict of interest."

"If he resigned (from the council), I would have voted for him," Devaney said after Tuesday's session.

Councilor Christopher Iannella Jr. said Jubinville had helped gather nomination signatures for Devaney when she was coming up short about six years ago.

"We're at the coffee shop, he says, 'I got a call from Councilor Devaney,'" Iannella said. "'We gotta help her, she's panicking.' And you know what Bob did? What a man of compassion. He convinced me, not once − on two different cycles, you better believe it − and you know how hard it is to get signatures. And Bob and I, especially Bob, put her over the top. And you know what? He's a decent, good person."

Councilor Paul DePalo said he was voting for Jubinville, "despite the unusual situation" of the nominee serving on the council, because he is "eminently qualified."

Councilor Joseph Ferreira, whom Jubinville called a "bootlicker" and a "rubber stamp" during a heated council debate in 2017, said he bears no grudge against Jubinville and voted for him.

"Bob and I have had some very heated arguments in this very chamber," Ferreira said as laughter broke out in the chamber Tuesday. "It's been a little bit public. But is he qualified? Exceptionally well. Does he have the right temperament and empathy for people? He does. And that's why he has my vote today."

Earlier this year, the council confirmed Jubinville's daughter, Sarah Jubinville, a former assistant clerk magistrate in Plymouth Superior Court, for a District Court judgeship.

Robert Jubinville said he thinks he will start in Framingham District Court on Jan. 3 and was not sure about when he would officially leave the council.

Nearly 200,000 voters in the council's District 2 reelected Jubinville this fall to serve another two-year term, which is set to begin Jan. 5. His opponent, Republican Dashe Videira, of Franklin, garnered 112,941 votes.

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The district covers most of Norfolk County, including Milton, Randolph and part of Braintree, but not Quincy, Weymouth or the rest of Braintree, which are in District 4. Iannella represents that district.

Residents of Jubinville's district could be left without representation on the council for an entire term unless the Legislature steps in. Filling council vacancies falls to the House and the Senate.

In Jubinville's farewell remarks at the end of Tuesday's session, he said serving on the council was a "great pleasure and honor."

"Look, at times we didn't agree on things, but I don't know of any deliberative body in this State House or any other State House that haven't had their ups and downs," he said. "But we came into it and we got together and we put those things aside, and I consider you all my very close friends."

The Patriot Ledger staff contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Milton's Jubinville confirmed for court post