The governor and lieutenant governor presided as governor's councilors were sworn in during a joint session of the House and Senate, officials said.

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll addressed the chamber and described the council’s role in recommending and confirming judicial nominees. “It really is a team helping ensure that we are putting the best and the brightest in judicial positions,” Driscoll said. She told members the council had confirmed 50 judges in the last two years, including 38 last year, “two on the Supreme Judicial Court, and the chief justice of the Appeals Court.”

Councilors-elect were asked to raise their right hands and repeat the oath. Following the oath, the clerk reminded new councilors to sign a sheet before leaving; staff from the governor’s office and the secretary’s office were identified as the recipients of those forms.

Driscoll and the governor thanked councilors and their families for serving; Driscoll noted council work is time-consuming and often done in support of the judicial system’s long-term function.