Brookline voters will help decide a contested Democratic primary for Governor's Council District 3 on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, after a retired trial attorney entered the race over the incumbent's vote to confirm a judge whose court program required domestic violence survivors to attend sessions with their alleged abusers.

Challenger Margie Palladino, executive director of the Massachusetts Family Advocacy Coalition, is taking on incumbent Mara Dolan in what amounts to the general election. No Republican filed for the seat, according to Ballotpedia.

The race centers on a single vote.

On Wednesday, April 1, the Governor's Council confirmed Mary Ferriter as an associate justice of the Probate and Family Court, 4-3, as MassLive reported. Dolan, a Concord attorney and former public defender, joined Terrence Kennedy, Joseph Ferreira, and Christopher Iannella in the majority. Tara Jacobs, Paul DePalo, and Eunice Ziegler voted no. Ferriter previously directed the High Conflict Parent Education Program at William James College in Newton, a nine-week, $950 court-ordered course that critics said forced some abuse survivors into sessions alongside their alleged abusers. William James College discontinued the program in 2024.

"It was the councilor's vote on April 1 that was the catalyst for my entering this race," Palladino told Brookline.News. "To me, it wasn't simply one vote. It revealed how she exercises judgment when it mattered most."

Palladino had backed Dolan's successful 2024 campaign, in which Dolan unseated 25-year incumbent Marilyn Petitto Devaney and became the first public defender elected to the council. Dolan campaigned that year on prioritizing trauma-informed judicial nominees and the experiences of domestic violence survivors.

Dolan defended her April vote, arguing that Ferriter did not design the program and did not order anyone into it. Ferriter's role as director, Dolan said, was to ensure the program complied with court requirements. Through court spokesperson Erika Gully-Santiago, Ferriter declined to comment.

A Brookline resident's account

A Brookline woman volunteering for Palladino's campaign said a judge ordered her into the William James program during her divorce, despite an active restraining order and a pending assault and battery case against her ex-husband. She said the program required her to amend the restraining order, speak with her ex-husband weekly by phone, and meet him in person twice. Her attorney's request to excuse her from the in-person sessions was denied. The woman, who spoke to Brookline.News on condition of anonymity, said she ultimately refused to comply and accepted the risk to her custody outcome.

"It put me in a very dangerous situation," she said. "I ultimately failed the course because I refused to be in contact with someone whom I had a very good reason to have a restraining order against."

How Brookline voters can participate

District 3 spans more than 30 cities and towns, including Brookline, Newton, Cambridge, Waltham, and parts of Boston, according to Progressive Mass. The Governor's Council reviews and confirms all judicial appointments made by the governor. The council has confirmed more than 100 judges nominated by Gov. Maura Healey since 2023; Ferriter's was the first to face significant opposition.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. The voter registration deadline is Saturday, August 22, 2026, for online, mail, and in-person registration. Massachusetts sends mail ballot applications to all registered voters 45 days before the election; unenrolled voters applying by mail must specify which party's ballot they want. Unenrolled voters who go to the polls in person can choose a Democratic ballot without changing their party registration, according to the Secretary of State's office.