Governor Malloy Nominates Judge Espinosa To Supreme Court

Governor Malloy has announced that he will nominate Connecticut Appellate Court judge Carmen Espinosa to the Supreme Court, to fill the seat vacated by the recent retirement of Justice Ian McLachlan.    This follows on the nomination of Andrew McDonald, the governor’s chief legal counsel and a former state senator, to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Lubbie Harper, Jr.

Although the press may focus on the fact that she will be the first Hispanic to sit on the Connecticut Supreme Court, her compelling life story should also be the focus of media inquiry.  In additional to her educational background (J.D.  from The George Washington University Law School, M.A. in Hispanic Studies from Brown University, B.S. in Secondary Education with a major in Spanish and French from Central Connecticut State University), her appellate biography  states:

For eleven years prior to her appointment to the [Superior Court bench [in 1992], Judge Espinosa was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut in Hartford, serving nine years in the Criminal Division and two years in the Civil Division. While an Assistant United States Attorney, Judge Espinosa received the United States Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award and the United States Department of Justice Special Achievement Award. Before becoming a federal prosecutor, she was a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

I think having a former FBI agent as a justice will definitely add a unique perspective to the Supreme Court!