Role of The Council
Your Governor’s Councilor-- that you elect every two years-- is your voice on
who becomes a judge or Parole Board member in MA.
The Governor’s Council is made up of eight councilors one from each of eight districts across Massachusetts. While each district encompasses five Senate seats, the Council districts do not correspond to any other electoral districts.
What does the Council do?
The Massachusetts Governor’s Council, also known as the Executive Council, provides advice and consent to the governor in specific matters – warrants for the state treasury, pardons and commutations, gubernatorial appointments such as judges, clerk-magistrates, public administrators, members of the Parole Board, Appellate Tax Board, Industrial Accident Board/Industrial Accident Reviewing Board, notaries, and Justices of the Peace.
Judges
The Governor’s Council is best known for its role in approving (or disapproving) judges nominated by the governor.
Parole Board
The Governor’s Council provides advice and consent to gubernatorial appointments to the Parole Board. The Council holds a public hearing and then votes. There are seven members of the Parole Board, each of whom serves a five-year term.
Commutations
Petitions for commutations are filed with the Advisory Board of Pardons (aka the Parole Board). The Board reviews and decides whether to grant a hearing. After the hearing, the Board votes on whether to recommend that the governor commute the petitioner’s sentence. Typically, commutation petitions are filed by people serving 1st degree murder and thus life without parole sentences. A commutation reduces such a sentence to life with the possibility of parole after at least 15 years. If the governor grants the commutation request, it is sent to the Governor’s Council to confirm. The Council holds its own public hearing. A majority of votes is needed to ratify the governor’s decision. If confirmed, the petitioner is now eligible for parole and returns to the Parole Board for a hearing. If there is a tie vote, the lieutenant governor casts the deciding vote.
Pardons
The power to grant executive clemency for offenses violating state law, including both pardons and commutations, is held in Massachusetts by the governor, with the advice and consent of the Massachusetts Governor’s Council. Clemency in the form of a pardon functions as forgiveness of an offense to “remove the barriers that are sometimes associated with a criminal record, thereby facilitating the reintegration of the petitioner into his or her community.” Petitions for pardons are similarly heard by the Advisory Board of Pardons (the Parole Board) and then recommended to the Governor. If approved, the Governor’s Council must confirm.
To find out who your governor’s councilor is go to www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/ on the MA secretary of state website and put in your address for a complete list of your elected officials and district representatives.
Ramadan Shabazz’s commutation hearing before the Governor’s Council, December 13, 2022