Mike Beaudet & Producer Kevin RothsteinDEDHAM, Mass. (
MyFoxBoston.com) -- Nearly half of the 18 judicial nominees Gov. Deval Patrick has put forward in the waning months of his administration have donated to either the governor or his former lieutenant governor, campaign finance records show.
With 18 empty judicial spots, Gov. Patrick has the chance to leave his imprimatur on the judiciary for years after he steps down Jan. 1. The 18 pending nominees are more than four times the four judicial spots Gov. Mitt Romney had to fill in his final months in office, a FOX Undercover review of Governor's Council records show.
The Governor's Council narrowly approved a particularly controversial nomination today, voting 5-3 to make Parole Board Chairman Josh Wall a Superior Court judge.
Wall isn't just any nominee. He is the governor's close friend, and he and his wife have supported the governor since before he was elected, donating $5,500 since 2005.
"Is Josh Wall about helping out an old friend?" FOX Undercover reporter Mike Beaudet asked Gov. Patrick after the vote.
"No. It's about a very, very well qualified new judge," Patrick replied.
Wall isn't the only judicial nominee who's donated to Patrick.
Campaign finance records show 8 of the 18 nominees have donated hundreds of dollars to Patrick or former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray.
"But we have 18 nominations pending right now. About half of them have contributed to you. Is it payback time?" Beaudet asked.
"No it is not. Do you have any other questions?" Patrick replied.
"I do," Beaudet said, but Patrick just replied "These are great people" and retreated to his office.
Republican and Democratic Governor's Councilors were willing to talk,
Democratic Councilor Marilyn Devaney worries the Governor's Council won't be able to get through all the pending nominations.
"I don't want to be part of anyone buying their judgeship. I don't want it," Devaney told Beaudet.
"Do you think the governor is paying people back favors?" Beaudet asked.
"I'm looking at 14 that he has given us so I do my due diligence. I think you see the time that I put into this so I will not leave a stone unturned with every single one of them," Devaney replied.
Three of the pending nominations are filling slots that opened in 2012 and 2013. That makes Republican Councilor Jennie Caissie wonder, why now?
"Absolutely I'm concerned. These are lifetime appointments. People should not be shuffled through like cattle. I think the public demands and deserves public hearings that vet these nominees," Caissie said.
"Does that trouble you that there are those donations and potentially the appearance that this is payback time?" Beaudet asked.
"It does," Caissie replied. "When you look at the overall public I think the figure (is) 4 percent of the public donate to political candidates and 90 percent of the nominees who appear before us donate to public candidates."
"Why do you think they do that?" Beaudet asked.
"I think they're trying to get an upper leg," Caissie replied.
The Governor's Council approved three of the 18 judicial nominations today, including Wall, leaving 15 more to go. And the governor could still nominate additional judges before he leaves office.