State Delays Hearings On Fried Confirmation

The Massachusetts Governor's Council announced yesterday that it will postpone hearings on Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence Charles Fried's nomination to the state's Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) until August 16.

Although the reasons given for the delay are that some councillors are on vacation and one councillor is recovering from surgery, the decision comes in the wake of vigorous protests against Gov. William F. Weld's '66 selection of Fried last week.

Spokespersons from the National Organization of Women, the Cambridge Tenants Union and Women's Bar Association, traditionally liberal organizations, have all expressed displeasure at Fried's nomination, citing Fried's temperament and his positions on issues of reproductive and civil rights as evidence of Fried's inability to be a judge.

Still, according to yesterday's Boston Globe, Councillor Christopher A. Ianella (D-Worcester) said the delay is unfair.

Councillors who voted to delay the hearing cited vacation plans and the recovery of Councillor Jordan Levy (D-Worcester) from back surgery as the reason for the decision to wait two months, according to the Globe.

"I don't think we are doing any damage in taking some time [with the nomination hearing]," said Councillor Dorothy A. Kelly-Gay (D-Somerville), the body's chair.

She has, however, called off plans to take the confirmation hearings "on the road" to all the districts in the state.

Last week, Kelly-Gay said in an interview thatgathering public input before voting on thenomination was a campaign promise she made whilerunning for election to the council.

In a telephone interview with The Crimson lastnight, Fried said of the vote on his nominationthat "sooner would've been better."

"Nobody likes to have something like thatdragging out," he said.

But Fried said he doesn't think the delay will"necessarily have an effect [on the outcome of thehearing]."

He said only that "people may lose interest alittle bit."

The law school professor, once Weld's teacher,said the Council has been open about why thehearing must be postponed.

"A couple of the councillors have been ill, andone of them is just recovering from back surgery,"Fried said