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Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Mullins vacancy (September 2024)
| Connecticut Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Mullins vacancy |
| Date: September 5, 2024 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: William H. Bright, Jr. |
| Date: January 27, 2025 |
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.[1] Bright's nomination was confirmed by both houses of the Connecticut General Assembly on March 6, 2025. He was sworn in later that day.[2] 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.[3]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Connecticut Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2024.
The appointee
- See also: William H. Bright, Jr.
On January 27, 2025, Governor Ned Lamont (D) nominated William H. Bright, Jr. to the Connecticut Supreme Court.[1] He was confirmed and sworn in on March 6, 2025.[2]
Bright earned his undergraduate degree from Dickinson College in 1984 and his J.D. from the University of Chicago in 1987.[4] Before becoming a judge, Bright was a partner for the law firm of McCarter & English. He was also a shareholder in Cummings & Lockwood.[5] Bright was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Bar Foundation.[5]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Connecticut
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.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Connecticut Supreme Court
Justices
Following Mullins' ascension, the Connecticut Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Joan K. Alexander | Appointed by Gov. Ned Lamont (D) in 2022 | |
| ■ Gregory D'Auria | Appointed by Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in 2017 | |
| ■ Nora Dannehy | Appointed by Gov. Ned Lamont (D) in 2023 | |
| ■ Steven D. Ecker | Appointed by Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in 2018 | |
| ■ Andrew McDonald | Appointed by Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in 2012 |
About the court
| Connecticut Supreme Court |
|---|
|
| Court Information |
| Justices: 7 |
| Founded: 1784 |
| Location: Hartford |
| Salary |
| Associates: $222,545[6] |
| 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.[7]
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.
About Justice Mullins
- See also: Raheem L. Mullins
Mullins received a B.A. in sociology from Clark University in 2001. He received a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in 2004.[8]
Mullins clerked for Judge Frederick L. Brown of the Massachusetts Appeals Court after law school. Before becoming a judge, Mullins was an assistant state's attorney for the Division of Criminal Justice and assistant attorney general in the Child Protection Division. He then served as a judge in the New Haven District Superior Court from 2012 to 2014 and in the state appellate court from 2014 to 2017, until his appointment to the state supreme court.[8][9] As of 2021, Mullins had chaired the Code of Evidence Oversight Committee since 2018.[8]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2024
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2024
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2024. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2023.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 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
- ↑ Martindale, "Judge Profile:William H. Bright," accessed February 10, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio2 - ↑ 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
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Biographies of Supreme Court Justices, Associate Justice Raheem L. Mullins," accessed June 22, 2021
- ↑ Vote Smart, "Raheem Mullins' Biography," accessed June 22, 2021
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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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