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	Prosecutor Nominated for the Bench Bristol County Assistant DA Directed Sex Assault, Child Abuse Unit By David Kibbe The Standard-Times [New Bedford MA] July 21, 2005 Renee P. Dupuis of New Bedford, the first assistant district attorney for Bristol County, was nominated by Gov. Mitt Romney yesterday to become associate justice of the Juvenile Court in Suffolk County. Dupuis, who has been at the Bristol County District Attorney's Office since 1986, has prosecuted more than 30 murder trials. She was previously the director of the office's Sexual Assault/Child Abuse Unit and was chief trial counsel. "She has been the MVP ... for the past 20 years," said Bristol County District Attorney Paul F. Walsh Jr. Dupuis' nomination will have to be confirmed by the Governor's Council, which will interview her shortly. She could not be reached for comment yesterday. Last year, Dupuis prosecuted a civil commitment case against pedophile priest James R. Porter to keep him in prison after his original sentence expired, arguing he was a danger to the community. Porter died behind bars at the age of 70. Walsh said Dupuis' experience in the Sexual Assault/Child Abuse Unit, which she led for about 10 years, made her particularly well suited for the Juvenile Court bench. "In those cases, you deal with victims who come from broken homes, dysfunctional families -- the vulnerable," Walsh said. "That's pretty much what you see in Juvenile Court. She certainly has the background for it. I don't think there's anyone better attuned to those types of issues than Renee Dupuis." Dupuis is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Bristol County Bar Association, where she serves on the board of directors. She received an associate's degree from the Community College of Rhode Island in 1980. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Bryant College in 1982 and earned a law degree from Boston University School of Law in 1985. Walsh said Dupuis was known to prosecute trials back to back to back with no sign of stress. "She tried a murder case, a Superior Court jury trial, two weeks before she delivered her baby." Walsh said the office has mixed emotions -- happy for her nomination, but sad to see her go. Dupuis was the sixth Bristol County prosecutor during his tenure to be nominated to the bench. "She will be tough to replace, impossible to replace," Walsh said.
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