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Connecticut Supreme Court
| Connecticut Supreme Court |
|---|
|
| Court Information |
| Justices: 7 |
| Founded: 1784 |
| Location: Hartford |
| Salary |
| Associates: $222,545[1] |
| Judicial Selection |
| Method: Assisted appointment (governor-controlled commission) |
| Term: 8 years |
| Active justices |
| Joan K. Alexander, William H. Bright Jr., Gregory D'Auria, Nora Dannehy, Steven D. Ecker, Andrew J. McDonald, Raheem L. Mullins |
Founded in 1784, the Connecticut Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Raheem L. Mullins.
As of March 2025, all seven judges on the court were appointed by Democratic governors.
The Connecticut Supreme Court meets in the State Library and Supreme Court Building in Hartford, Connecticut. The court sits for eight two-week terms between September and June of each year.[2]
In Connecticut, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission with a majority of members selected by the governor. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
Jurisdiction
The supreme court generally has appellate jurisdiction over cases decided in lower courts within Connecticut, including cases decided by the appellate court.[3] The supreme court may also transfer any pending matter before the court to the appellate court.[4]
The court has mandatory jurisdiction over the following types of cases:[3]
- civil appeals
- capital criminal appeals
- criminal appeals
- judicial discipline matters
Two types of appeals are sent directly to the supreme court: capital felony convictions and verdicts where there is a question about the validity of a state statute or the state constitution.[5]
The court has discretionary jurisdiction over:[3]
- civil appeals
- non-capital criminal appeals
- administrative agency cases
Justices
The table below lists the current judges of the Connecticut Supreme Court, their political party, when they assumed office, and their appointing governor.
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Supreme Court | Joan K. Alexander | Nonpartisan | April 30, 2022 | Ned Lamont (D) |
| Connecticut Supreme Court | William H. Bright Jr. | Nonpartisan | March 6, 2025 | Ned Lamont (D) |
| Connecticut Supreme Court | Gregory D'Auria | Nonpartisan | 2017 | Dan Malloy (D) |
| Connecticut Supreme Court | Nora Dannehy | Nonpartisan | September 26, 2023 | Ned Lamont (D) |
| Connecticut Supreme Court | Steven D. Ecker | Nonpartisan | May 3, 2018 | Dan Malloy (D) |
| Connecticut Supreme Court | Andrew J. McDonald | Nonpartisan | January 24, 2013 | Dan Malloy (D) |
| Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice | Raheem L. Mullins | Nonpartisan | January 28, 2025 | Ned Lamont (D) |
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Connecticut
The seven justices on the Connecticut Supreme Court are selected through the assisted appointment method. The Connecticut Judicial Selection Commission is responsible for screening candidates and submitting a shortlist to the governor. The commission is made up of 12 members: six appointed by the governor and six appointed by leaders in the state legislature. The governor must appoint a justice from the commission's shortlist and the appointee must then be confirmed by a majority vote of the Connecticut General Assembly.[6][7]
Justices serve for eight years after their appointment. To continue to serve on the court, they must be renominated by the governor and reapproved by the General Assembly.[7]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:
- a state resident;
- licensed to practice law in the state; and
- under the age of 70 (retirement at 70 is mandatory).[8]
Chief justice
The chief justice is appointed by the governor and confirmed by a majority vote of the Connecticut General Assembly. In the event of a vacancy, however, the governor may nominate an associate justice to serve as chief without involving the judicial nominating commission. Chief justices appointed this way will serve out the remainder of their predecessor's term rather than a full eight years, which is the typical term length of the chief justice.[6]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends qualified candidates to the governor and the governor selects a successor from that list with legislative approval. The new appointee serves an eight-year term.[9]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
Appointments
2024
Chief Justice Robinson vacancy
On August 29, 2024, Governor Ned Lamont (D) appointed Raheem L. Mullins to the chief justice position of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Mullins replaced Chief Justice Richard Robinson, who retired on September 6, 2024.[10] Mullins is Governor Lamont's (D) fourth appointment to the seven-member supreme court.
In Connecticut, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission with a majority of members selected by the governor. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends qualified candidates to the governor and the governor selects a successor from that list with legislative approval. The new appointee serves an eight-year term.[11]
Justice Mullins vacancy
On January 27, 2025, Governor Ned Lamont (D) nominated William H. Bright, Jr. to the Connecticut Supreme Court to replace justice Raheem L. Mullins, who ascended to the Chief Justice position on September 5, 2024.[12] Bright's nomination was confirmed by both houses of the Connecticut General Assembly on March 6, 2025. He was sworn in later that day.[13] Bright is Governor Lamont's fifth nominee to the seven-member supreme court.
In Connecticut, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission with a majority of members selected by the governor. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends qualified candidates to the governor and the governor selects a successor from that list with legislative approval. The new appointee serves an eight-year term.[14]
2023
Governor Ned Lamont (D) appointed Nora Dannehy to the Connecticut Supreme Court through assisted appointment. Justice Maria Araujo Kahn resigned on March 10, 2023 upon her appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Dannehy is Ned Lamont's (D) second nominee to the seven-member supreme court.
At the time of the vacancy under Connecticut law, vacancies on the court were filled via assisted appointment method.
2020
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) appointed Christine E. Keller to the Connecticut Supreme Court on July 20, 2020. Keller succeeded Justice Richard Palmer, who retired on May 27, 2020, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 years on October 1, 2020.[15][16][17][18] Keller was Gov. Lamont's first nominee to the seven-member court.
Under Connecticut law as of May 2020, state supreme court justices were selected using the assisted appointment method.[19]
2018
Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Chase Rogers retired on February 5, 2018. In a letter to colleagues announcing her retirement, Rogers wrote, "When I began my tenure in 2007, I told my family and close friends that I thought ten years in a position of leadership was just about right...I continue to believe that and, therefore, have decided to move on to new tasks before I overstay my welcome."[20]
Under Connecticut law, Democratic Governor Dan Malloy appointed Rogers' replacement. Malloy's nominee, Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Richard A. Robinson, was confirmed by the Connecticut General Assembly on Monday, April 30, 2018.[21] Robinson was Malloy's sixth appointment to the seven-member supreme court.
Caseloads
The table below details the number of cases filed with the court and the number of dispositions (decisions) the court reached in each year.[22]
| Connecticut Supreme Court caseload data | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Filings | Dispositions |
| 2022 | 198 | 171 |
| 2021 | 210 | 112 |
| 2020 | 128 | 176 |
| 2019 | 188 | 191 |
| 2018 | 120 | 120 |
| 2018 | 120 | 120 |
| 2017 | 121 | 107 |
| 2016 | 168 | 209 |
| 2015 | 121 | 216 |
| 2014 | 165 | 158 |
| 2013 | 158 | 191 |
| 2012 | 157 | 199 |
| 2011 | 145 | 191 |
| 2010 | 134 | 207 |
| 2009 | 232 | 220 |
| 2008 | 262 | 256 |
| 2007 | 223 | 229 |
Analysis
Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters (2021)
In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters, a study on how state supreme court justices decided the cases that came before them. Our goal was to determine which justices ruled together most often, which frequently dissented, and which courts featured the most unanimous or contentious decisions.
The study tracked the position taken by each state supreme court justice in every case they decided in 2020, then tallied the number of times the justices on the court ruled together. We identified the following types of justices:
- We considered two justices opinion partners if they frequently concurred or dissented together throughout the year.
- We considered justices a dissenting minority if they frequently opposed decisions together as a -1 minority.
- We considered a group of justices a determining majority if they frequently determined cases by a +1 majority throughout the year.
- We considered a justice a lone dissenter if he or she frequently dissented alone in cases throughout the year.
Summary of cases decided in 2020
- Number of justices: 8
- Number of cases: 43
- Percentage of cases with a unanimous ruling: 90.7% (39)
- Justice most often writing the majority opinion: Justice D'Auria (10)
- Per curiam decisions: 3
- Concurring opinions: 4
- Dissenting opinions: 4
For the study's full set of findings in Connecticut, click here.
Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)
- See also: Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship
Last updated: June 15, 2020
In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.
The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation, based on a variety of factors. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on the political or ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. To arrive at confidence scores we analyzed each justice's past partisan activity by collecting data on campaign finance, past political positions, party registration history, as well as other factors. The five categories of Confidence Scores were:
- Strong Democrat
- Mild Democrat
- Indeterminate[23]
- Mild Republican
- Strong Republican
We used the Confidence Scores of each justice to develop a Court Balance Score, which attempted to show the balance among justices with Democratic, Republican, and Indeterminate Confidence Scores on a court. Courts with higher positive Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Republican Confidence Scores, while courts with lower negative Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Democratic Confidence Scores. Courts closest to zero either had justices with conflicting partisanship or justices with Indeterminate Confidence Scores.[24]
Connecticut had a Court Balance Score of -4.86, indicating Democrat of the court. In total, the study found that there were 15 states with Democrat-controlled courts, 27 states with Republican-controlled courts, and eight states with Split courts. The map below shows the court balance score of each state.
Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores (2012)
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns." A score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court of Connecticut was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Connecticut received a score of 0.05. Based on the justices selected, Connecticut was the 21st most conservative court. The study was based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges, or—in the absence of elections—the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice but rather an academic gauge of various factors.[25]
Noteworthy cases
The following are noteworthy cases heard before the Connecticut Supreme Court. For a full list of opinions published by the court, click here. Know of a case we should cover here? Let us know by emailing us.
| • Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health | Click for summary→ |
|---|---|
|
In August 2004, eight same-sex couples, living in the state, sued after being denied marriage licenses by the acting town clerk in Madison, Connecticut. The couples claimed their license applications were denied because they were same-sex couples, which violated their state constitutional rights to due process and equal protection and their rights to intimate expression and association. While their lawsuit was pending, the general assembly passed PA 05-10, commonly referred to as a "civil union law," which stated "marriage" was a term to be used for couples of the opposite sex, and the term "civil unions" was for couples of the same sex. The state supreme court held, by a vote of 4-3, that the state constitution's Equal Protection Clause prohibited the state from denying same-sex couples the right to marry. According to the majority, Connecticut's civil union law was also valid.[26] | |
| • Susette Kelo v. City of New London | Click for summary→ |
|---|---|
|
The court defined the primary issue of the case as to whether under state and federal constitutional law, public use clauses permit cities and towns to exercise the power of eminent domain for the purpose of allowing an economic development plan to go forward. Under the authority of eminent domain, the city of New London seized the properties of homeowners and sold them to private developers. The city said developing the land would create jobs and increase tax revenues. Kelo and other homeowners whose property was seized sued the city of New London in state court. The property owners argued the city violated the Fifth Amendment's takings clause, which guaranteed the government would not take private property for public use without fair compensation. The state supreme court found in favor of the city. The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court who affirmed the state supreme court's ruling. The court said the city was not simply taking the property of private citizens to sell to private developers. Instead, they seized the property to sell as part of an economic development plan which would ultimately benefit the city.[27] | |
Ethics
The Connecticut Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Connecticut. It consists of four overarching canons:
| “ |
|
” |
The full text of the Connecticut Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.
Removal of judges
Judges in Connecticut may be removed in one of four ways:
- By an impeachment of the judge by the Connecticut House of Representatives and a removal of the judge by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Connecticut State Senate.
- By the governor with the "address of two-thirds of each house of the general assembly."[30]
- By a judicial review council which may "in such manner as shall by law be prescribed, censure any such judge or suspend any such judge for a definite period not longer than one year."[30]
- By the Connecticut Supreme Court which has the authority to remove or suspend a judge.[31][30]
History of the court
The Supreme Court of Errors was created in 1784 in the period between the Revolutionary War and the state's first constitution. The court was vested with the power to review lower court rulings based on a Writ of error and justices initially included the lieutenant governor and members of the upper chamber of the general assembly. In 1806 the number of supreme court justices was increased to nine, and members of the court from other branches of government were replaced, but the state general assembly retained the power to overturn court rulings.[32]
With the adoption of the state's first constitution in 1818, the Supreme Court of Errors was created as an independent judiciary and a separate branch of government where justices were appointed by the general assembly. It became the state's highest court and required justices to step down when they reached the age of 70.[33]
An amendment adopted in 1856 provided for eight-year judicial terms with no term limits, and an amendment in 1880 provided that justices would be nominated by the governor, instead of the general assembly. In 1965 the name of the court was changed to the Supreme Court, instead of the Supreme Court of Errors. In 1982 appellate courts were created in the state to reduce the caseload of the supreme court. And in 1986 a judicial selection commission was created. Today the supreme court has seven justices.[34]
Noteworthy firsts
- Raymond E. Baldwin served as both the governor of the state and as a Supreme Court justice.[35]
- Ellen Ash Peters was the first female justice appointed to the court in 1978. She was also the first woman to serve as chief justice, in 1984.[36]
- Robert Glass was the first African-American justice to serve on the Supreme Court in 1987. He retired from the court in 1992. The juvenile courthouse in Waterbury, Conn., is named after him.[37]
Courts in Connecticut
- See also: Courts in Connecticut
In Connecticut, there is one federal district court, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. The image below depicts the flow of cases through Connecticut's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.
Party control of Connecticut state government
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. A state supreme court plays a role in the checks and balances system of a state government.
Connecticut has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.
Connecticut Party Control: 1992-2025
Fifteen years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | I | I | I | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
External links
- Connecticut State Judicial Branch - Connecticut Supreme Court
- Connecticut Supreme Court Historical Society
Footnotes
- ↑ The salary of the chief justice may be higher than an associate justice.
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Overview of the Supreme Court," accessed May 26, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Organization of the Courts," accessed September 10, 2021
- ↑ Connecticut Court Records,"How Does the Connecticut Supreme Court Work?" accessed June 12, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut Court Records,"How Does the Connecticut Supreme Court Work?" accessed June 12, 2024
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Connecticut General Assembly, "Sec. 51-44a. Judicial Selection Commission. Members. Duties. Nomination of judges by Governor.," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Connecticut General Assembly, "Article Fifth. of the Judicial Department - Sec. 2.," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Frequently Asked Media Questions," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
- ↑ CT Mirror, "Richard Robinson to retire as chief justice of CT Supreme Court," May 21, 2024
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
- ↑ Governor of Connecticut, "Governor Lamont Nominates Judge William Bright to the Supreme Court, Judge Robin Wilson to the Appellate Court, and 13 Other Jurists to the Superior Court," January 27, 2025
- ↑ CT Mirror, "William H. Bright Jr. confirmed as justice of CT Supreme Court," March 5, 2025
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
- ↑ Hartford Courant, "Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Richard N. Palmer retiring after 27-year career that included decisions on death penalty, same-sex marriage," May 24, 2020
- ↑ The Office of Governor Ned Lamont, "Governor Lamont Makes Supreme and Appellate Court Appointments," July 20, 2020
- ↑ Patch, "Governor Lamont Statement On Confirmation Of Judges," August 17, 2020
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "Governor Lamont Applauds Final Confirmation of Judicial Nominations," October 1, 2020
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Connecticut," archived January 11, 2014
- ↑ Hartford Courant, "Chief Justice Chase Rogers Retiring," November 2, 2017
- ↑ theday, "House unanimously confirms Robinson as chief justice," April 30, 2018
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Biennial Reports," accessed May 27, 2021
- ↑ An Indeterminate score indicates that there is either not enough information about the justice’s partisan affiliations or that our research found conflicting partisan affiliations.
- ↑ The Court Balance Score is calculated by finding the average partisan Confidence Score of all justices on a state supreme court. For example, if a state has justices on the state supreme court with Confidence Scores of 4, -2, 2, 14, -2, 3, and 4, the Court Balance is the average of those scores: 3.3. Therefore, the Confidence Score on the court is Mild Republican. The use of positive and negative numbers in presenting both Confidence Scores and Court Balance Scores should not be understood to that either a Republican or Democratic score is positive or negative. The numerical values represent their distance from zero, not whether one score is better or worse than another.
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
- ↑ Supreme Court of Connecticut, "Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health," decided October 28, 2008, accessed March 20, 2014
- ↑ Oyez, "Kelo v. City of New London," accessed March 25, 2014
- ↑ Office of Governmental Accountability - Judicial Review Council, "Connecticut Code of Judicial Conduct," accessed August 18, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Connecticut General Assembly, "Constitution of the State of Connecticut: Article XX," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ National Center For State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Removal of Judges," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch,"Overview of the Supreme Court," accessed June 12, 2024
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly,"Constitution of Connecticut, 1818," accessed June 12, 2024
- ↑ The Connecticut State Constitution,"Article V: Of the Judicial Department," accessed June 12, 2024
- ↑ Museum of Connecticut History, "Raymond Earl Baldwin," accessed September 10, 2021
- ↑ Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, "Ellen Ash Peters," accessed September 10, 2021
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Waterbury juvenile matters courthouse to be named after the Honorable Robert D. Glass," May 16, 2008
Federal courts:
Second Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Connecticut • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Connecticut
State courts:
Connecticut Supreme Court • Connecticut Appellate Court • Connecticut Superior Court • Connecticut Probate Courts
State resources:
Courts in Connecticut • Connecticut judicial elections • Judicial selection in Connecticut
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