‘Really alive in every sense of that word’: Charlie Baker and others reflect on the death of SJC chief justice Ralph Gants
"This was such a shocking, and in some ways, overwhelming event."
Gov. Charlie Baker ordered American and Massachusetts flags to be flown at half-mast “until further notice” Tuesday to honor the “unparalleled” life and legacy of Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants.
During a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Fitchburg, the Massachusetts governor called Gants’ unexpected death “shocking, and in some ways, overwhelming.”
Gants died at the age of 65, the state’s top court announced Monday — 10 days after he was hospitalized following a heart attack. The active judge and longtime lawyer had been expected to make a full return to the bench as recently as late last week.
Baker, a Republican, paid tribute Tuesday to Gants, who was appointed to the SJC by former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, as an “exceptional leader and an incredibly hard worker,” reiterating some of the points he had made in a previous statement Monday.
“Those who had the privilege of working with him, or going in front of him when he was a judge, all spoke about his brilliance, but also about his sense of humor, his
grace, his kindness, and his thoughtfulness,” Baker said. “He was someone who loved his work on the court, but more importantly, somebody who simply loved the role, the point, and the purpose of the judiciary.”
Colleagues throughout the legal community told The Boston Globe on Monday that Gants, the court’s first Jewish chief justice, left behind a legacy as a “brilliant thinker” and “fearless” advocate for racial justice. Just days after undergoing surgery to insert two stents into an artery following his Sept. 4 heart attack, Gant released a statement to draw attention to a “must-read” report on the racial disparities in the Massachusetts criminal justice system.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito also described Gants as a “hands-on” chief justice who was actively engaged in the process of criminal justice.
And those comments were echoed across the political spectrum; Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Monday that Gants was “a smart, compassionate, and faithful public servant who believed in dispensing fair and impartial justice.” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said he “recognized the fundamental importance of the law and the courts as instruments to make the Commonwealth a fairer and more just place.”
Justice Ralph Gants recognized the power inherent in our laws to make our Commonwealth and our country more equal and more fair.
My thoughts are with his family and all who loved and admired him. https://t.co/z2Gbf0IgAF
— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) September 15, 2020
But beyond the judge’s 40-year legal career, Baker said the sudden death of Gants was particularly shocking because of how lively he was as a person.
“He’s 65 years old, played soccer every weekend, and was one of those people who just radiated energy — kinetic energy,” the 63-year-old governor said following his opening remarks Tuesday.
An avid sports fan, Gants was known for continuing to play in a local “over the hill” soccer league and consistently praised for his sense of humor.
“The guy was alive,” Baker said. “And I mean really alive in every sense of that word, which is why I think that, for those of us who’ve worked with him and know him, this was such a shocking, and in some ways, overwhelming event.”
Even after Gants’s heart attack, Baker said “the only question” in his and Polito’s minds was how “long it would be before he was back presiding as chief of the SJC again.”
“The whole idea that we could be approaching the last 10 days of his time with us here on earth is a preposterous notion if you knew him,” Baker said. “That’s a really bright light that just went out.”
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