Councilor Paul DePalo also noticed a high level of public attention aimed at the latest nominee.
The Worcester Democrat said that, in some areas, "the public discourse jumped right over this nominee's impeccable unquestioned experience, her qualifications, her pedigree, her temperament, her reputation earned over a decade on the Appeals Court" — and "jumped right to a salacious storyline designed to raise alarms."
"I don't want the government concerning itself with a woman's past — emphasis on 'past' — relationship choices," DePalo told his colleagues. "And I'd ask, when do we stop policing a woman's body? When, how many years back do we have to go, to stop policing women? And to those who tell me that a relationship that ended years ago should be disqualifying for this position, I would ask them — should I advise my smart, confident, and maybe one day ambitious daughters to never date an ambitious person, because years later, it might disqualify them from a position they have worked their whole lives to deserve?"