On December 4, 2020, Dalila Wendlandt was sworn in as a new justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the state’s court of last resort. Wendlandt was nominated by Governor Charlie Baker (R) on November 3, 2020, and was the governor’s sixth nominee to the seven-member court.
Wendlandt succeeded Barbara Lenk, who retired on December 1, upon reaching the court’s mandatory retirement age of 70 years old. Lenk was appointed to the court in 2011 by Gov. Deval Patrick (D).
Prior to joining the state supreme court, Wendlandt joined the Massachusetts Appeals Court in 2017. She was nominated to the court by Baker and confirmed by the Governor’s Council. From 1997 to 2017, Wendlandt was an attorney with Ropes & Gray LLP. Wendlandt previously served as a law clerk to the Hon. John M. Walker Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
In 2020, there have been 22 supreme court vacancies in 16 of the 29 states where replacement justices are appointed instead of elected. One vacancy occurred when a chief justice died, and 21 vacancies were caused by retirements. As of December 8, 2020, 15 of the 22 vacancies have been filled.
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