Election 2026: Margie Palladino

Margie Palladino is new to running for state office, but she says it’s another step on a path of political involvement she’s been following her entire life.

Palladino is challenging incumbent Mara Dolan in the Democratic primary for a seat on the Governor’s Council representing District 3, which includes Waltham. 

The Governor’s Council is responsible for reviewing and deciding whether to confirm appointments made by the governor, including judges, public administrators, parole board members and more. It also votes on pardons and commendations recommended by the governor.

At a July event held by the Waltham Democratic City Committee, Palladino described her childhood in upstate New York as the daughter of politically involved parents. 

As a young adult, Palladino decided to create change by going into law instead of politics. At the time, she said, she shied away from family court after hearing about its inconsistent and difficult rules; instead, she went into corporate litigation, where she felt her work wasn’t making much of an impact. When she and her former partner adopted children, she agreed to retire from the law to take care of them full time.

When Palladino attended family court years later as a party on the other side of the bench, she found the experience as inconsistent and difficult as she’d expected. This time, she resolved to change it. With the help of other women who’d had bad experiences in family court, she helped found the Mass Family Advocacy Coalition to advocate for reforming the family court system to make it more predictable for participants and to advocate for survivors of domestic abuse.

What catalyzed Palladino’s decision to run for the Governor’s Council was a vote in April when Dolan and three other council members voted to confirm attorney Mary Ferriter as an associate justice in family and probate court. Ferriter has come under fire from some domestic abuse survivors for her past role as the director of a program that they said required them to interact with their abusers over extended periods of time. Palladino, who supported Dolan in her last election, said this vote felt like a “betrayal.” 

Palladino argued that the Governor’s Council hearing process isn’t sufficiently transparent. She was also unsatisfied with attempts to reach out to Dolan after the hearing, characterizing Dolan’s responses to domestic violence survivors from MFAC as dismissive.

Palladino said transparency is particularly important in the Governor’s Council’s work, because in Massachusetts, judges aren’t elected and can continue to serve until they turn 70.

Palladino argued that her position outside the legal system as an advocate positions her as an independent and accountable choice. She also has experience in local politics as a member of the Wellesley Town Meeting, and she pointed to her endorsement from state auditor Diana DiZoglio.

Beyond the judiciary, Palladino said she maintains her political priorities as a lifelong Democrat. She said she wants to see humane immigration legislation, protections for reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ communities, and the upholding of equal protection and due process.

Palladino also wants potential judicial candidates and other state-level appointees to continue their education. She pointed out that although Massachusetts attorneys have access to continuing legal education resources, they aren’t required by law to use them. 

She said judges need to be aware of the changing legal landscape around issues like ICE in courtrooms, and members of the parole board should stay up to date on new data and findings about recidivism and rehabilitation.

As a domestic abuse advocate, Palladino said she’s particularly committed to making sure victims are heard in the council, and the candidates she confirms are trauma-informed. She’s still focused on court reform: Before voting to confirm a judge, she said she wants to know they’re thinking about how their procedural decisions will impact the people on the other side of the bench.

For more coverage of the District 3 Governor’s Council primary race, check out the League of Women Voters’ August 6 candidates’ debate.