Hoplolaimus pararobustus

The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol. It generally holds eight sessions of two to three weeks per year, with one session each September through November and January through May. Justices are appointed by the Governor and then approved by the Connecticut General Assembly.

The current Connecticut Supreme Court includes:

• Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers
• Justice Joette Katz
• Justice Flemming L. Norcott, Jr.
• Justice Richard N. Palmer
• Justice Barry R. Schaller
• Senior Justice William J. Sullivan
• Justice Christine S. Vertefeuille
• Justice Peter T. Zarella

The court became embroiled in a lengthy ethics scandal in 2006 when the Hartford Courant revealed that retiring Chief Justice William J. Sullivan postponed the publication of a controversial decision opposing Freedom of Information Act requests for documents that track the status and history of legal cases in the Connecticut legal system until hearings for his successor Justice Peter T. Zarella were completed. Legislators speculated Sullivan delayed the publication of the court's opinion because he feared it might damage Zarella's chances of becoming Chief Justice. Both justices ruled in favor of the restrictions. Governor M. Jodi Rell rescinded Zarella's nomination to be Chief Justice after the Courant's revelation.

After the Hartford Courant reported Sullivan's actions, it was revealed that fellow justice David M. Borden was the person who came forward with the information. The incident caused a firestorm in the legislature and judiciary. Sullivan was referred to the Judicial Review Council, which suspended him for violating judicial ethics rules. Angry legislators led by Senator Andrew McDonald grilled Sullivan at an investigative hearing, where he repeatedly apologized for his actions.

Gov. Rell nominated Chase T. Rogers to the position of Chief Justice. Rogers is a 50-year-old mother of two with experience as an Appellate and Superior Court judge. After receiving a unanimous vote for confirmation from the General Assembly, she was sworn in as Chief Justice on April 25, 2007.

Notable Decisions

One of the most important recent case the court has decided was the Kelo v. City of New London case (2004), appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The state court sided with the city in a 4-3 decision, with the majority opinion authored by Justice Norcott and joined by Justices Borden, Palmer and Vertefeuille. Justice Zarella wrote an unusually lengthy and considered dissent (joined by Justices Sullivan and Katz), due to the importance of the case and the high likelihood that the United States Supreme Court would grant certiorari. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Connecticut Supreme Court's decision in favor of the city, in a 5-4 decision, with the dissent written by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The Kelo decision is studied as a continuation of the expansion of governments' power to seize property through eminent domain, although the widespread negative popular reaction has spurred a backlash in which many state legislatures have curtailed their eminent domain power.

On October 10, 2008, the Supreme Court of Connecticut ruled that gay and lesbian couples could not be denied the right to marry because of the Equal Protection Clause of the state constitution. This decision made Connecticut the third state (along with Massachussetts and California) to legalize same-sex marriage through judicial decree of the state supreme court. Chief Justice Rogers and Justice Schaller did not participate in the decision. They were replaced by appellate Judge Lubbie Harper, Jr. and Senior Justice David M. Borden. The majority opinion was written by Justice Palmer, and joined by Justices Norcott, Katz, and Judge Harper. Justices Zarella, Vertefeuille, and Borden dissented.

External links

• http://www.connecticutlawyers.com
• Overview of the Supreme Court