Court opening could elevate McDonald

HARTFORD — The retirement announcement Thursday by Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers could open the door for what in the future may be called “the Malloy Court.”

And Associate Justice Andrew J. McDonald of Stamford might lead the way.

McDonald is a former top adviser to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy as far back as when he was mayor of Stamford. At age 51, he is the youngest of the

Supreme Court veterans, who were joined this week by two interim justices elevated from the Appellate Court.

“I think the next chief is going to be Justice Andrew McDonald,” said Edward J. Gavin, a Bridgeport lawyer who is the former president of the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

“He’s very talented,” Gavin said in a phone interview. “He’s the former co-chairman of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. He has ties to the Malloy administration. He’s extraordinarily bright and qualified and I think he is the front runner.”

Aformer state Senator from Stamford, McDonald became Malloy’s chief Capitol legal counsel following the 2010 election. Malloy nominated McDonald to the high court in 2013.

“This is going to be an extraordinary legacy for Dan Malloy,” Gavin said. “You could almost call it the Malloy Court.” Five of the seven members of the court, who are occasionally joined by Senior Justice Carmen E. Espinosa, have been appoint- ed by Malloy. The replacement of Rogers will be his sixth. “I think perhaps the biggest legacy of Gov. Malloy may very well rest in the Supreme Court.”

On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee approved the nominations of Appellate judges Maria Araujo Kahn, 53, and Reheem L. Mullins, 39 to interim appointments pending their confirmation next year for full eight-year terms by the entire General Assembly.

Rogers, a former New Canaan resident and former Stamford and Norwalk Superior Court judge, became a judge of the Superior Court in January 1998 and joined the Appellate Court in March 2006.

She began her term as Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court on April 25, 2007, after her nomination from then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

In an email to the Judicial Branch on Thursday, the 60-year-old Rogers said that she will leave on Feb. 5, nearly 11 years after taking over the top court, with its $200,000 salary.

“When I began my tenure in 2007, I told my family and close friends that I thought ten years in a position of leadership was just about right,” Rogers wrote. “I continue to believe that and, therefore, have decided to move on to new tasks before I overstay my welcome.”

“Chief Justice Rogers is a consummate jurist who has served the state admirably and with formidable distinction,” Malloy said statement.

“Among her many accomplishments, her tenure on the state’s highest court will be remembered for expanding transparency and access to justice, fostering a culture of inclusion in the judicial branch, and streamlining court processes,” he said.

This fall, the court heard arguments in the landmark Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding vs. Rell school funding case to determine if the state is adequately distributing resources to its poorer school district.

“It is the Chief Justice’s hope that all of the cases she sat on will be decided before her retirement, and she will work diligently to achieve that goal,” said Rhonda Herbert, a spokeswoman for the court.

Rogers