 The Massachusetts Republican Party sued in an attempt to halt Kirk's appointment, but it was rejected by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Thomas Connolly.In the special election held January 19, 2010, Republican State Senator Scott Brown defeated Democratic State Attorney General Martha Coakley in an upset victory.Brown thus became the first Republican to be elected from Massachusetts to the United States Senate since Edward Brooke in 1972 and he began serving the remainder of Kennedy's term on February 4, 2010.