Two Haitian American women were poised to make history as the first women of color to serve on the state board that vets nominations for judges and parole board members, according to unofficial results Wednesday.
Democrats Tamisha Civil, 43, a probation officer from Stoughton, and Eunice Zeigler, 36, a nonprofit executive from Methuen, won races for the Governor’s Council, according to the Associated Press. The body also serves as the hearing board for pardons and commutations of jail sentences.
The Governor’s Council, which has its roots in the state’s Colonial-era government, consists of eight seats representing separate regions of the state, and the council’s current members are all Democrats. Voters in four of the districts decided the outcomes in contested Election Day races.
The council meets weekly and pays about $36,000 a year. The ranks of the state’s court judges are largely white and male, though Governor Maura Healey’s appointments have increased the numbers of women and people of color in the judiciary. But the new appointments have predominantly been Democrats, the Globe has reported.
Candidates have said voters should pay more attention to the council because of its role in judiciary appointments.
In a Facebook statement Wednesday, Civil referenced national politics as she declared victory.
“Despite the results of our Presidential Election, Massachusetts voters have made it clear that they support a judicial system centered on democratic values, protecting reproductive rights, and criminal justice reform,” Civil said in the statement. “I promise to stand up to injustice and fight every day to protect the freedoms of everyone in our Commonwealth.”
Civil beat Republican Francis T. Crimmins Jr. in the race for the council’s vacant Second District seat, which represents an area west and south of Boston that includes Framingham and Attleboro.
Civil has said she was motivated to run because of her cousin, James Lucien, who served nearly 27 years in prison before his murder conviction was thrown out in 2021 because his trial was affected by police misconduct and perjury. She said she wants to promote the council with voters and solicit questions from the public to ask nominees, particularly for judgeships, and she has pledged to only support judges who back abortion rights.
In a statement on his website, Crimmins, a former state court judge, said he believes the council’s purpose is to make sure “only the most qualified” candidates get appointed.
Zeigler, an executive with a Haverhill-based nonprofit, came out ahead in a three-way race for the council’s Fifth District seat. She faced Republican Anne Manning-Martin, the deputy commissioner of the state Department of Correction, and independent Jody Elliott, a licensed mental health counselor.
Zeigler also declared victory in the race Wednesday afternoon.
“It is with a grateful heart that I announce that WE DID IT! I will serve as your next Governor’s Councilor in District 5. We started this journey a year ago with a vision. One rooted in community and partnership as we advocate for fair judges and a transparent judicial system,” Zeigler said in a statement.
The north-of-Boston district includes cities like Salem, Methuen, and Peabody. The incumbent, Eileen Duff, did not seek reelection and endorsed Zeigler.
Both Zeigler, a former Methuen city councilor, and Manning-Martin, a Peabody city councilor, have said they would serve as a check on the governor’s office.
Elliott has called for a rule that would prohibit lawyers serving on the council from appearing in court before judges they appointed.
In the two remaining contested races, incumbents Joseph C. Ferreira and Paul M. DePalo each faced challengers.
Ferreira beat independent challenger Krysten Condon in the First District, which covers the Cape and Islands.
In the Seventh District race to represent a Central Massachusetts region that includes Worcester, the AP called the race for DePalo, who beat Republican Andrew J. Couture.
In the other council races, Democrats faced no Republican challengers.
For the council’s Third District, Mara Dolan succeeded longtime incumbent Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney, after defeating Devaney in the September state primary.
Incumbents Christopher A. Iannella Jr., who represents the Fourth District; Terrence W. Kennedy in the Sixth District; and Tara J. Jacobs in the Eighth District were all reelected in uncontested races.
John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com or on Signal at john_hilliard.70. Follow him on Bluesky at iamjohnhilliard.bsky.social.