Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday nominated her former romantic partner and Massachusetts Appeals Court Associate Justice Gabrielle Wolohojian to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court.

Wolohojian and Healey, who are former longtime partners, first met while both were working at Hale & Dorr, according to a 2015 Boston Magazine article.

Wolohojian is nominated to fill the seat vacated by Justice David Lowy, who has retired this month from the Supreme Judicial Court.

Wolohojian is Healey’s second nomination to the state’s highest court, which consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven Justices hear appeals on a broad range of criminal and civil cases from September through May and issue written opinions that are posted online.

“There is no one more qualified or better prepared to serve on the Supreme Judicial Court than Justice Wolohojian. She will bring over three decades of broad trial and appellate experience, including sixteen years on the Appeals Court,” Healey said in a statement, which made no mention of her prior relationship with Wolohojian.

“Justice Wolohojian has served on the Appeals Court with distinction and her work is widely respected by members of the bench and bar,” Healey said. “She has an exceptional understanding of the law and a strong commitment to the administration of justice. I thank the Supreme Judicial Nominating Commission for their work throughout this process and I am grateful to the Governor’s Council for their careful consideration of her nomination.”

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll in a statement echoed Healey’s comments.

“Justice Wolohojian cares deeply about improving the work of our courts and ensuring that the judiciary serves the public as best it can,” Driscoll said. “From chairing the Supreme Judicial Court’s Standing Advisory Committee on the Rules of Appellate Procedure, to overseeing the training and mentoring of all new judges on the Appeals Court, Justice Wolohojian has shown an unwavering dedication to improving the functioning of our courts. Governor Healey and I look forward to the Governor’s Council’s consideration of Justice Wolohojian, who, if confirmed, will be a critically important addition to the Supreme Judicial Court.”

Wolohojian was appointed to the Appeals Court in February 2008. Since her appointment, she has sat on over 2,700 appeals and authored over 900 decisions, according to Healey. She serves as the Chair of the Supreme Judicial Court’s Advisory Committees on the Rules of Appellate Procedure, and the Chair of the Appeals Court’s Committees on Judicial Mentoring and Training, Education, Policies and Practices, and En Banc Rehearings. Wolohojian is a regular speaker on appellate practice.

Wolohojian was appointed to the Appeals Court by then-Gov. Deval Patrick on Feb. 7, 2008, according to her judicial biography on the state’s website.

Born in New York and the granddaughter of Armenian immigrants, Wolohojian received a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Rutgers University in 1982; a Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Oxford in 1987; and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1989, where she was an editor of the Columbia Law Review, according to her judicial biography.

After graduating from law school, she served as a law clerk, first to Judge Rya Zobel of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, then to Judge Bailey Aldrich of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

In 1991, Wolohojian joined the Boston law firm of Hale and Dorr, now known as WilmerHale, where she became a partner in the firm’s litigation department, according to her judicial biography. Her practice focused on complex commercial litigation in State and Federal courts, including product liability cases, consumer class actions, false advertising claims, and other business and consumer transactions. In 1994, Wolohojian left the firm to serve as an associate independent counsel on the Whitewater investigation, returning to her practice 16 months later.

Wolohojian is also a violinist and a longtime performing member of the Boston Civic Symphony Orchestra according to her judicial biography and Healey’s statement. She also previously served as President of the Board of Directors of the Boston Civic Symphony Orchestra.

Since 2005, Wolohojian has served as an overseer of From the Top, a nationally-distributed radio program focusing on young children playing classical music.

“Justice Wolohojian is uniquely qualified to join the Supreme Judicial Court at a time when it enjoys and is committed to maintaining its reputation as one of the most respected state supreme courts in the country,” Geraldine Hines, a retired Associate Justice of the state Supreme Judicial Court, said in a statement.

“This is a difficult job that demands intellectual vigor, respect for the rule of law, an unwavering commitment to equal justice under the law, and an impeccable work ethic. From our time together on the Appeals Court and from my conversations with colleagues who have continued to serve on the court, I can say that Justice Wolohojian is richly blessed with these qualifications, as exemplified in her record of achievement as a lawyer and jurist,” Hines said. “She has also mastered the under-appreciated but important skill so critical to appellate judging: the ability to accept and coax consensus from the inevitable debates that arise when seven justices with diverse background, life experiences and judicial philosophies are called upon to decide the difficult and complex issues of law presented to the court.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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