MASS. JUDICIAL NOMINEE REJECTED OVER GENOCIDE DENIAL

Wednesday, March 5th, 2014

Joseph Berman

BOSTON (AP)–Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s nominee for a
Superior Court judgeship has been rejected by the Governor’s Council,
which approves judicial nominees.

The eight-member council voted 4-4 Wednesday to deny attorney Joseph
Berman a place on the bench.

Patrick said he’s disappointed and that Berman is qualified.

The choice was a contentious one for some council members. The
opposition was led by Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney, a Watertown
Democrat.

Devaney objected to Berman’s ties to the Anti-Defamation League, which
has worked directly with Turkey to defeat Congressional resolutions on
the Armenian genocide and still refuses to unambiguously acknowledge
that genocide.

Berman supporters said he helped push the ADL’s national leadership
to change its position and acknowledge the Armenian genocide.

Gov. Patrick called the objections to Berman “unprecedented and
unfair.”

Before and during the height of Armenian Americans’ battle against
the genocide denial of the ADL in 2007, National Commissioner Berman
apparently never issued a public statement disagreeing with national
ADL policies towards Armenians.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress