Connecticut Supreme Court justice vacancy (March 2023)
| Connecticut Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Kahn vacancy |
| Date: March 10, 2023 |
| Status: Nomination pending |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Nora Dannehy |
| Date: September 1, 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.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Connecticut Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- A list of candidates who applied to the vacancy.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of Maria Araujo Kahn who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2023.
The appointee
- See also: Nora Dannehy
Nora Dannehy was born in Connecticut. She earned a bachelor's degree from the Wellesley College and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Her career experience includes working as an adjunct professor.[1]
Appointee candidates and nominations
- September 1, 2023: Governor Lamont officially nominates Nora Dannehy to the Connecticut Supreme Court.[2]
- August 30, 2023: Governor Lamont announces he is vetting Nora Dannehy to potentially be his next nominee to the Connecticut Supreme Court.[3]
- May 19, 2023: Slack Glover withdraws her nomination to the Connecticut Supreme Court.[4]
- April 25, 2023: Governor Ned Lamont nominates Sandra Slack Glover to the Connecticut Supreme Court.[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.
Connecticut judicial selection commission
The Connecticut Judicial Selection Commission, also known as the JSC, is an independent state commission in Connecticut that plays a role in the state's judicial selection process. The commission was established by constitutional amendment in 1986.[6] The JSC has 12 members, six selected by the governor and six selected by leaders of the Connecticut General Assembly.[7]
Makeup of the court
- See also: Connecticut Supreme Court
Justices
Following Kahn's resignation, 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 | |
| ■ Steven D. Ecker | Appointed by Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in 2018 | |
| ■ Andrew McDonald | Appointed by Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in 2013 | |
| ■ Raheem L. Mullins | Appointed by Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in 2017 | |
| ■ Richard Robinson | Appointed by Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in 2018 |
About the court
| Connecticut Supreme Court |
|---|
|
| Court Information |
| Justices: 7 |
| Founded: 1784 |
| Location: Hartford |
| Salary |
| Associates: $230,334[8] |
| 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.[9]
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 Kahn
- See also: Maria Araujo Kahn
Justice Kahn joined the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2017. She was appointed to the court by Governor Dan Malloy (D). Before serving on the state supreme court, Kahn served as a superior court judge from 2006 until Governor Malloy appointed her to the state appellate court in May 2017.[10] She received a B.A. cum laude from New York University in 1986 and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1989.[1]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2023
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2023
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2023. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2022.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Biographies of Supreme Court Justices, "Associate Justice Nora R. Dannehy," accessed March 18, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ CTInsider, "Lamont nominates Nora Dannehy, a former public corruption prosecutor, to fill Supreme Court vacancy," accessed September 7, 2023
- ↑ CTmirror, "Lamont wants Nora Dannehy on Connecticut Supreme Court," accessed September 1, 2023
- ↑ CTMirror, "Sandra Slack Glover withdraws as CT Supreme Court nominee," accessed May 25, 2023
- ↑ The Office of Governor Ned Lamont, "Governor Lamont Nominates Sandra Slack Glover to the Connecticut Supreme Court," accessed April 26, 2023
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Constitution of the State of Connecticut," accessed October 8, 2021 (Article XXV)
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Chapter 872," accessed October 8, 2021 (Section 51-44a)
- ↑ 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
- ↑ myrecordjournal.com, "Cheshire resident nominated to serve as Connecticut Appellate Court judge," May 3, 2017
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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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