Stamford Native Nominated To Head State Supreme Court: Malloy

STAMFORD, CT — Justice Richard A. Robinson, a Stamford native who is currently serving as an Associate Justice on the state Supreme Court, has been nominated by Gov. Dannel Malloy to be the court's next Chief Justice, the governor announced Thursday.

"During his esteemed career in public and judicial service Justice Robinson has demonstrated a keen legal acumen and incisive insight," said Malloy in a statement. "I am confident that as Chief Justice, his tenure will be marked with distinction and his leadership will prove to be invaluable, should he be confirmed."

Malloy's first pick for the post, Justice Andrew McDonald, was rejected last month when Republican State Senators - and one Democrat - voted en mass against the nominee, reports the Hartford Courant. Chief Justice Chase T. Rodgers retired from the bench in February.

"If I am confirmed, I will do all that is humanly possible to live up to the high standards of this office," said Justice Robinson in a statement.

Should the state Senate confirm Justice Robinson, Malloy also nominated Superior Court Judge Steven D. Ecker of New Haven to take over Robinson's spot as an Associate Justice.

From a Malloy press release:

Justice Robinson has been an associate justice of the Supreme Court since December 2013. He was first appointed as a judge to the Superior Court judge in 2000 and to the Appellate Court in 2007. Prior to his service on the courts, Justice Robinson had a distinguished career in public service, serving the City of Stamford as Staff Counsel and then as Assistant Corporation Counsel for a combined fifteen years. Throughout his career, he also served in various leadership positions and was a member of a myriad of professional and civic organizations, such as President to the Stamford Branch of the NAACP (1988-1990) and as the Chair of the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (1997-2000). He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut and a Juris Doctor degree from West Virginia University School of Law.

Should Justice Robinson be confirmed as Chief Justice, Judge Ecker would fill the Associate Justice seat that is currently held by Justice Robinson.

“Judge Ecker has shown himself to be a fair and impartial jurist during his time on the court and throughout his stellar legal career,” Governor Malloy said. “I am confident that he will serve the people of Connecticut well on the Supreme Court.”

“I am enormously grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Connecticut as a justice of the Supreme Court,” Judge Ecker said. “If confirmed by the General Assembly, I will strive every day to uphold the public trust.”

Judge Ecker became a judge of the Superior Court in April 2014, after having been nominated by Governor Malloy and approved by the General Assembly. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Ecker was a member of the Hartford law firm Cowdery, Ecker & Murphy, LLC. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Jon O. Newman of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale College and Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.

Photo of Connecticut Associate Supreme Court Justice Richard A. Robinson via Jud.CT.gov