A partner at a Newton law firm was nominated this week for a Housing Court position following the retirement of a former House minority leader who led that court after joining it during the Swift administration.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday nominated Maria Theophilis, a partner with the Newton firm Broderick Bancroft, for a position on the court that handles eviction proceedings and discrimination claims.

Theophilis, who would need approval of the eight-member elected Governor’s Council, would replace Steven Pierce, who as Westfield’s Republican representative rose to the position of minority leader in 1987.

The former executive director of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, Pierce became chief justice of the Housing Court in 2006.

Theophilis handles civil litigation, according to her resume, and practiced at the tenants legal aid firm Greater Boston Legal Services as staff attorney from August 1999 to March 2003.

She is a graduate of the New England Law School and counts herself as proficient in Spanish and Greek.

Pierce lost to Bill Weld in the 1990 Republican gubernatorial primary and was Acting Gov. Jane Swift’s legal counsel before resigning and seeking a nomination for a judgeship.

Pierce was confirmed on a 6 to 2 vote in December 2002, as one councilor, no longer a member of the body, in a written statement said the appointment “epitomizes political patronage.”

At 66 years old, Pierce could have served almost another four years on the court before bumping up against the mandatory retirement age.