Press Release Governor Baker Nominates Janice Howe and Susan Sullivan to the Superior Court

BOSTON — Today, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Janice W. Howe and Susan E. Sullivan to the Superior Court. Howe has over three decades of experience in both the public and private sectors and Sullivan has practiced civil litigation across Massachusetts for 27 years.

“Janice Howe’s expertise in civil matters and her 12 years at the Essex County District Attorney’s Office will well serve the residents of the Commonwealth who come before her,” said Governor Baker.  “Susan Sullivan’s extensive trial experience make her an excellent candidate for the Superior Court.”

“I am confident that if Attorneys Howe and Sullivan are confirmed, these hardworking women will serve the Superior Court with distinction,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “I am pleased to submit their names to the Governor’s Council for their advice and consent.”

The Superior Court is a statewide court of general jurisdiction - handling both criminal and civil actions.  The court’s 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 counties of the Commonwealth. The court has exclusive original jurisdiction of first degree murder cases and original jurisdiction of all other crimes.

For more information about the Superior Court, please visit: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/superior-court

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February, 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April, 2015.

About Janice Howe

Janice Howe currently serves as partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP where she represents clients in mass torts, product liability cases, matters involving allegations of sexual assault, fraud cases and internal investigations. Prior to that, Attorney Howe was partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP where she practiced for almost twenty years. She began her career in the Office of the District Attorney for the Eastern District as Assistant District Attorney, Senior Trial Assistant. Attorney Howe graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Connecticut College and received her Juris Doctor graduating cum laude from Suffolk University Law School.

About Susan Sullivan

Susan Sullivan has worked at Lynch & Lynch for the past 27 years, concentrating her practice in civil litigation. She began her career in the Law Office of Robert Harbour during her first year of law school and remained there through her graduation. She has served as a volunteer instructor at MCLE for almost 20 years. Attorney Sullivan received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Spanish from the College of the Holy Cross and her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. She is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

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