Connecticut Supreme Court justice vacancy (May 2020)

Connecticut Supreme Court

Palmer vacancy
Date:
May 27, 2020
Status:
Seat filled
Nomination
Nominee:
Christine E. Keller
Date:
July 20, 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.[1][2][3][4] 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.[5]

## Contents

* 1 The appointee
* 1.1 Confirmation process
* 2 The selection process
* 3 Media coverage
* 4 Makeup of the court
* 5 About Justice Palmer
* 6 Other state supreme court appointments in 2020
* 7 See also
* 8 External links
* 9 Footnotes

## The appointee[edit]

See also: Christine E. Keller

Before her appointment to the state supreme court, Keller was a judge on the Connecticut Appellate Court. She was appointed to that court by Gov. Dan Malloy (D) and was confirmed by the legislature in 2013.[2]

Keller received her undergraduate degree from Smith College in 1974 and her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1977.

Below is a brief timeline of her career:

* 2013-2020: Judge, Connecticut Appellate Court
* 1993-2013: Judge, Connecticut Superior Court
* 1989-1993: Family Support Magistrate
* 1987-1989: Attorney in private practice
* 1984-1987: Assistant Corporation Counsel, City of Hartford
* 1977-1984: Staff Attorney, Neighborhood Legal Services

### Confirmation process[edit]

The Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly confirmed Keller's appointment in August 2020. Although Keller assumed office that month, her appointment still requires confirmation from the entire General Assembly, which reconvenes in 2021.[6]

## The selection process[edit]

See also: Judicial selection in Connecticut

As of May 2020, state court judges in Connecticut were selected using the assisted appointment method. Connecticut Supreme Court justices were selected by a commission-selection, political appointment method whereby a judicial nominating commission screened candidates and submitted a list of names to the governor, who had to appoint a judge from that list. The Connecticut General Assembly had to confirm the appointee.[5] If the General Assembly was not in session, nominees could assume office pending confirmation once the next regular session began.[7]

Judges of all three courts served for eight years. To remain on the court after their initial term, judges had to be renominated by the governor and approved by the General Assembly.[5]

## Media coverage[edit]

* Edmund Mahony, Hartford Courant (May 24, 2020): "Court watchers already are taking stock of what most agree has been an exceptional career. Colleagues who have known Palmer for decades talk about an outgoing personality, self-deprecating humor and an entertaining storyteller. But they talk also about aggressiveness in applying the law to society’s controversies, anger at perceived injustice and persuasiveness that built majorities around his legal analyses. ...

Supporters — including many who have disagreed with him over the years — talk about his 'intellectual rigor,' his 'sense of justice and injustice.' But the nature of his most important decisions — written for the narrowest of majorities on politically explosive legal questions — made contention inevitable. Critics complain his decisions have at times pressed the law too hard, encroaching on the legislature’s policymaking authority. ...

'I think what I can say to you without getting into the deliberative process is that he has always been drawn to and he has never shied away from some of the most complex and controversial issues that came before the court,' said former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Chase Rogers, a member of the court from 2007 to 2018. 'The bottom line is: Dick is a brave justice. He was very willing to take on some of the most controversial issues that came before the court.'"[1]

## Makeup of the court[edit]

See also: Connecticut Supreme Court

Following Palmer's retirement, the Connecticut Supreme Court included the following members:

■ Andrew McDonald |  | Appointed by Gov. Dan Malloy (D) in 2012

|
|

■ Gregory D'Auria |  | Appointed by Gov. Malloy in 2017
■ Maria Araujo Kahn |  | Appointed by Gov. Malloy in 2017
■ Raheem L. Mullins |  | Appointed by Gov. Malloy in 2017
■ Steven D. Ecker |  | Appointed by Gov. Malloy in 2018
■ Richard Robinson |  | Appointed by Gov. Malloy in 2018

## About Justice Palmer[edit]

See also: Richard Palmer

Palmer joined the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1993 after being appointed by Gov. Lowell Weicker and confirmed by the Connecticut General Assembly. Palmer was renominated and reconfirmed every eight years following.

Wesley Horton, the dean of the state supreme court's lawyers, said Palmer's tenure on the state supreme court was "the longest term in well over 100 years" and that Palmer was "one of the most consequential judges of this generation." At the time of his retirement, two other justices had served longer terms.[1]

Before becoming a state supreme court justice, Palmer was the chief state's attorney for Connecticut from 1991 to 1993. From 1987 to 1990, he was an assistant U.S. attorney for Connecticut. He also served in this role from 1980 to 1982. Palmer was in private practice from 1984 to 1986, as a partner in the firm Chatigny & Palmer, and from 1978 to 1980, as an associate in the firm Shipman & Goodwin. He was a law clerk to Judge Jon Newman of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.[8]

Palmer received his undergraduate degree from Trinity College in 1972 and his J.D., with high honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1977. During his legal studies, he was a member of the Connecticut Law Review.[8]

## Other state supreme court appointments in 2020[edit]

See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2020

The following table lists vacancies to state supreme courts that opened in 2020. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.

Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.

2020 judicial vacancies filled by appointment

Court  | Date of Vacancy  | Justice  | Reason  | Date Vacancy Filled  | Successor
Washington Supreme Court | January 5, 2020  | Mary Fairhurst | Retirement  | December 4, 2019  | Raquel Montoya-Lewis
Maine Supreme Judicial Court | January 2020  | Donald Alexander | Retirement  | January 6, 2020  | Andrew Horton
Illinois Supreme Court | February 2020  | Robert Thomas | Retirement  | March 1, 2020  | Michael J. Burke
Georgia Supreme Court | March 1, 2020  | Robert Benham | Retirement  | March 27, 2020  | Carla W. McMillian
Iowa Supreme Court | March 13, 2020  | David Wiggins | Retirement  | April 3, 2020  | Matthew McDermott
Washington Supreme Court | March 2020  | Charles Wiggins | Retirement  | April 13, 2020  | G. Helen Whitener
Maine Supreme Judicial Court | April 14, 2020  | Leigh Saufley | Retirement  | May 10, 2021  | Valerie Stanfill
Connecticut Supreme Court | May 27, 2020  | Richard Palmer | Retirement  | July 20, 2020  | Christine E. Keller
Alaska Supreme Court | June 1, 2020  | Craig Stowers | Retirement  | July 1, 2020  | Dario Borghesan
Hawaii Supreme Court | June 30, 2020  | Richard W. Pollack | Retirement  | November 19, 2020  | Todd Eddins
Rhode Island Supreme Court | June 30, 2020  | Gilbert Indeglia | Retirement  | December 8, 2020  | Erin Lynch Prata
Minnesota Supreme Court | July 31, 2020  | David Lillehaug | Retirement  | May 15, 2020  | Gordon Moore
California Supreme Court | August 31, 2020  | Ming Chin | Retirement  | November 10, 2020  | Martin Jenkins
New Jersey Supreme Court | August 31, 2020  | Walter F. Timpone | Retirement  | June 5, 2020  | Fabiana Pierre-Louis
Texas Supreme Court | August 31, 2020  | Paul Green | Retirement  | October 15, 2020  | Rebecca Huddle
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | September 14, 2020  | Ralph D. Gants | Death  | November 18, 2020  | Kimberly S. Budd
Kansas Supreme Court | September 18, 2020  | Carol Beier | Retirement  | November 30, 2020  | Melissa Standridge
Georgia Supreme Court | November 18, 2020  | Keith Blackwell | Retirement  | December 1, 2020  | Shawn Ellen LaGrua
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | December 1, 2020  | Barbara Lenk | Retirement  | November 25, 2020  | Dalila Wendlandt
New Mexico Supreme Court | December 1, 2020  | Judith Nakamura | Retirement  | December 19, 2020  | Julie Vargas
Illinois Supreme Court | December 7, 2020  | Thomas Kilbride | Was not retained  | December 8, 2020  | Robert Carter
Rhode Island Supreme Court | December 31, 2020  | Francis Flaherty | Retirement  | December 8, 2020  | Melissa Long
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals | December 31, 2020  | Michael Keasler | Retirement  | December 21, 2020  | Jesse McClure

## See also[edit]

Connecticut | Judicial Selection | More Courts

|
|

Courts in Connecticut Connecticut Appellate Court Connecticut Supreme Court |  Elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Connecticut |  Federal courts State courts Local courts

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* Search Google News for this topic
* Connecticut Supreme Court
* Connecticut Judicial Branch

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 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
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Office of Governor Ned Lamont, "Governor Lamont Makes Supreme and Appellate Court Appointments," July 20, 2020
3. ↑ Patch, "Governor Lamont Statement On Confirmation Of Judges," August 17, 2020
4. ↑ Office of the Governor, "Governor Lamont Applauds Final Confirmation of Judicial Nominations," October 1, 2020
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 American Judicature Society, "Judicial Selection in the States: Connecticut," archived January 11, 2014
6. ↑ Patch, "Governor Lamont Statement On Confirmation Of Judges," August 17, 2020
7. ↑ Governor Ned Lamont, "Governor Lamont Statement on Today’s Confirmation of Judges," August 12, 2020
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Connecticut Judicial Branch, "Associate Justice Richard N. Palmer," archived November 16, 2019

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