FRAMINGHAM - Four Democrats are in the running to win the Democratic Party’s nomination for the District 2 seat on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council during the state primary election on Tuesday, September 3.

Tamisha Civil, Muriel Kramer, Sean Murphy, and David Reservitz will all appear on the Democratic ballot in Framingham along with the nearly 40 other communities that comprise District 2 of the Governor’s Council.

The Governor’s Council advises Governor Maura Healey on certain legal matters, such as the appointment of judges and recommendations on pardons. The District 2 position has been vacant since 2022.

While it’s a down-ballot race in 2024, Kramer joined the rest of the fellow Democrats in the race in noting the prominence of the role.

“One of the best parts, I think, about this competitive primary in District 2–four great candidates–is that it’s elevating the conversation,” Kramer said in an interview with The Frame.

“And why that is important is that it’s a really powerful job, right? We make decisions on the Governor’s Council that establish really powerful positions for the future.”

The Frame spoke with all four of the candidates leading up to Tuesday’s election. Each of the nominees stressed the importance of advising on judicial appointments across the district.

“If we want to represent people of all walks of life, we want to make sure that our council is represented as well,” Civil said.

“Making sure that when we nominate judges, that the ideology of the judges reflect the constituents in our community, and they also have a knowledge of what the community is going through.”

“I just want to ensure that we have good, qualified judges,” Murphy said.

“I’m a Democrat, I’ve got Democratic values, but I don’t want the judiciary to be over-politicized. If you really think about it, the judiciary is designed to be the referee between the left, the right, and everything in between.”

“The vetting of judges is crucially important for a lot of reasons–one of which is to make sure that these judges are unbiased, that they’re going to hear the evidence that’s presented to them and render a fair and just award or ruling…It will come down to the Governor’s Council to make sure that we have the right people doing that,” Reservitz explained.

One of the other major facets of the job—recommending clemency for those convicted of a crime—plays a personal role in Civil’s decision to enter the race. Apart from her time spent working as an associate probation officer and in the trial court, Civil was motivated to run given her and her family’s experience after her cousin was exonerated for murder back in 2021. Civil explained that her cousin was imprisoned for 27 years for a crime he did not commit.

“I want to make sure that those who are getting into the criminal justice system are not experiencing what my family experienced,” Civil told The Frame, “making sure that they have someone to help them and navigate them through the complexities of the criminal justice system.”

Civil said her priorities in the role would include advocating for equal justice and a woman’s right to choose when it comes to decisions about their bodies, combating domestic violence, along with addressing mental health and substance abuse issues—the latter of which she identified as a disease.

Kramer joins the race as a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a license clinical social worker, and as someone with two decades of involvement within Hopkinton’s municipal government—including as chair of the town’s select board—along with time spent with the Massachusetts Bail Fund. She believes this wide range of experience primes her for success in the District 2 Governor’s Council role.

“Combining my advocacy for equity in all systems—particularly the criminal and legal system—and my experience running or serving in town government, when this seat came open, it seemed like a perfect spot for me to combine my extracurricular interests,” Kramer mentioned to The Frame.

“But, it also speaks to my professional interests.”

Kramer added that the hallmarks of her work, if elected, would include the effort to ensure that judicial candidates are forward thinking and considerate of socioeconomic factors across the legal system.

Another veteran of the armed forces—as a member of the Navy, compared to the Air Force—Murphy also worked as a union electrician before serving as a litigator for the past 10 years. He contends that his diverse background would provide valuable experience in his judgement if elected to the post. He emphasized the evaluation process he would want to implement for judges and situations, putting the focus on the facts and addressing matters on a case-by-case basis.

“Just because you’re a lawyer doesn’t mean you’re a good fit for a judge…You need judges to be compassionate, but also calm, collective, and be able to deal with a lot stress when it comes to the court room,” Murphy continued.

Reservitz has acted as a trial attorney for nearly 30 years, with both prosecution and defense experience. He’s also served on the Judicial Nominating Committee (JNC)—a similar group that examines the background of judges in Massachusetts—after being appointed by former Governor Deval Patrick in 2008. He identifies diverse experiences in working alongside both plaintiffs and defendants along with temperament as the main factors when vetting a judicial candidate.

“We’ll be interviewing other attorneys, and I have a unique skillset—having been a trial attorney for as long as I have and having reviewed judicial applications on the JNC—to make sure that we’re getting the rights candidates to become judges in this district,” Reservitz said in an interview with The Frame.

Reservitz mentioned that his other priorities as a Democratic Party nominee include rejecting judges who support a nationwide ban on abortion as well as supporting labor.

Full interviews with all four candidates can be found at the top of this article.

The primary for that Governor’s Council race on the Republican Party ballot is uncontested, as Francis Crimmins Jr. is slated to advance to November’s general election and run against whichever Democrat emerges.

Polls will open in Framingham for the state primaries on September 3 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information about voting, visit either framinghamma.gov, or mass.gov.