An Island court official may soon be stepping out of her office in the Edgartown courthouse to don a judge’s robe.
Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday nominated Edgartown District Court clerk magistrate Liza Williamson to be an associate justice in the state district court system. Ms. Williamson, who has worked as the Island magistrate for more than 20 years, will now be considered by the governor’s council for confirmation.
Ms. Williamson, a West Tisbury resident who previously had a general law practice in Edgartown, was one of five attorneys nominated by the governor.
“All five of these distinguished attorneys will bring decades of experience and a proven dedication to upholding the rule of law,” said Governor Healey in a statement.
As clerk magistrate since 2004, Ms. Williamson has presided over small claims trials, search warrants and bail hearings as the administrative head of the district court. She also served a short stint as the acting clerk magistrate on Nantucket, handling the two Island court systems at the same time in 2010 and 2011.
Ms. Williamson kicked off her law career as a prosecutor after passing the bar in 1997. She went on to work as an assistant district attorney in Suffolk and Middlesex counties before starting her own law firm in Edgartown in 2002.
When reached Wednesday, after handling the day’s small claims cases in Edgartown, Ms. Williamson said she could not comment on the nomination, referring questions to the governor’s office.
Colleagues praised Ms. Williamson’s evenhandedness in hearings and fairness to both plaintiffs and defendants in the Island courthouse.
“It’s a tremendous loss for the Edgartown District Court but a gain for the district court bench,” said defense attorney Robert Moriarty.
A former member of the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office who is one of the rotating cast of public defenders, Mr. Moriarty praised Ms. Williamson’s practice of explaining decisions clearly to people who aren’t familiar with the court system.
“She’s got an excellent judicial temperament,” he said. “She is a top-shelf candidate.”
In Edgartown, she has been involved in the new recovery court and has been an outspoken advocate for upgrades at the aging and understaffed courthouse.
Working in such a small court meant that Ms. Williamson wore many hats, and was much more public facing than other magistrates, said state Rep. Thomas Moakley, a former prosecutor in Edgartown.
“It’s a tough and very unique job at the Edgartown District Court,” he said. “She will be missed in that role.”
New associate judges typically take to the bench in several different courts as part of a circuit. A confirmation hearing for Ms. Williamson is still in the process of being scheduled, members of the governor’s council said in a meeting Wednesday.
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