Connecticut Appellate Court
| Connecticut Appellate Court | |||
 | |||
| Court information | |||
| Judges: | 9 | ||
| Founded: | 1982 | ||
| Salary: | Associates: $209,046[1] | ||
| Judicial selection | |||
| Method: | Assisted appointment with legislative confirmation | ||
| Term: | 8 years | ||
The Connecticut Appellate Court is the intermediate appellate court in Connecticut. The court was created via a constitutional amendment that was approved by voters on November 12, 1982, and passed by the Connecticut State Legislature on June 28, 1983. The court, comprised of nine judges, hears appeals from the Connecticut Superior Court. Cases on appeal are heard by a three-judge panel, but may also be heard en banc, meaning that all nine judges participate in the ruling.[2][3]
Current judges
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
April 22, 2009 - Present |
Mary Jodi Rell |
|
|
2018 - Present |
Dan Malloy |
|
|
2017 - Present |
Dan Malloy |
|
|
August 12, 2020 - Present |
Ned Lamont |
|
|
2020 - Present |
Ned Lamont |
|
|
May 2, 2022 - Present |
Ned Lamont |
|
|
October 27, 2023 - Present |
Ned Lamont |
|
|
March 6, 2025 - Present |
Ned Lamont |
|
|
2021 - Present |
Ned Lamont |
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Connecticut
The nine judges on the Connecticut Appellate 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 judge from the commission's shortlist and the appointee must then be confirmed by the Connecticut General Assembly.[4][5][6]
Judges 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.[5]
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).[7]
Chief judge
The chief judge of the appellate court is selected by the chief justice of the supreme court. The appellate chief serves in that capacity until he or she steps down from office.[8][9]
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.[10]
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:
| “ |
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” |
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."[13]
- 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."[13]
- By the Connecticut Supreme Court which has the authority to remove or suspend a judge.[14][13]
Noteworthy cases
| Click for story→ | |
|---|---|
| Waverly LLC, owner of Connecticut supermarket ShopRite, filed a lawsuit against the town of Manchester, Conn., claiming the town gave Walmart, a store also selling groceries, special treatment when Walmart applied to build a four-acre store in the town. The town commission approved the Walmart store in 2013. Waverly claimed the town commission did not properly consider traffic repercussions and that Walmart did not obtain a special exception required showing that the superstore would not affect property values in the area and that the proposed site was suitable for construction.
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State profile
| Demographic data for Connecticut | ||
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 3,584,730 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 4,842 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 77.3% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 10.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 4.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 14.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 37.6% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $70,331 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Connecticut. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Connecticut voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Connecticut, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[16]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Connecticut had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Connecticut coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Connecticut
- United States congressional delegations from Connecticut
- Public policy in Connecticut
- Endorsers in Connecticut
- Connecticut fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Appellate Court History," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "About Connecticut Courts," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Sec. 51-44a. Judicial Selection Commission. Members. Duties. Nomination of judges by Governor.," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Connecticut General Assembly, "Article Fifth. of the Judicial Department - Sec. 2.," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ Connecticut General Assembly, "Sec. 51-197c. Appellate Court; judges, appointment, terms, Chief Judge.," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Frequently Asked Media Questions," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ The Courant, "Appellate Court Has New Chief Judge," March 30, 2010
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "About Connecticut Courts," accessed March 28, 2023
- ↑ Brennan Center for Justice, "Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map," accessed March 23, 2023
- ↑ State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Connecticut Code of Judicial Conduct," accessed May 22, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 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
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Hartford Courant, "Court won't hear appeal on Manchester Wal-Mart decision," April 27, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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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