US State of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s nominee for a Superior Court judgeship has been rejected by the Governor’s Council, which approves judicial nominees.

The eight-member council voted 4-4 to deny attorney Joseph Berman a place on the bench, Boston Herald reports.

Patrick said he’s disappointed and that Berman is qualified.

The choice was a contentious one for some council members. The opposition was led by Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney, a Watertown Democrat.

Devaney objected to Berman’s ties to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) during a time when the national organization refused to label as genocide the early 20th century killings of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

Berman supporters said he helped push the ADL’s national leadership to change its position and acknowledge the Armenian genocide.