Saturday, April 25, 2015

State Representative Rosa Rebimbas (Naugatuck)

It's been a busy week . . . a busy few weeks actually, but that's par for the course as they say at Augusta and elsewhere. My email inbox and mobile voice mail were overflowing with inquiries seeking comment on the recent flap between State Representatives Rosa Rebimbas (a Naugatuck Republican) and Minnie Gonzalez (a Hartford Democrat). Truth is, I didn't feel a need to comment because there was little I could add to what had already been reported. Why rehash what other news outlets had already covered, including the reader comments which added sufficient detail that seemed to be unavailable to even the reporters themselves.

My feelings changed just a bit this morning as I finally had a chance to finish watching the CT-N video coverage for both the April 10th Judiciary Committee public hearing and also the April 22nd vote in the House of Representatives to reconfirm Chase T. Rogers of Old Lyme as Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. (I've got to do a piece about how great CT-N is . . . someone please remind me!)

Rosa Rebimbas, State Representative (Naugatuck)
It was a bit disturbing, after having listened to more than 10 hours of public testimony, both for and against the renomination of Chase T. Rogers, at the April 10, 2015 public hearing before the Judiciary Committee, to then hear Rosa Rebimbas rise in support of Rogers, and completely distort the picture of what had happened in that earlier hearing.

Does she not care one bit about her ethical obligations to her constituents, to the citizens of Connecticut, to her colleagues on the floor — from both parties — who may have had other pressing business to attend to and therefore rely on the sincere remarks and rendition of fact offered by someone they expect they can trust . . . an elected public official (and attorney no less) that shares a seat of honor and respect in the very same chamber as they.

Legislator or Lobbyist
In watching and listening to Rosa Rebimbas, it's difficult . . . no, actually, impossible to tell the difference between what a paid lobbyist would say any different that what Rebimbas, an elected public official actually did say. Rather than make readers search around for the official transcript (which is not yet available anyway), here is an unofficial transcript, but please, if you spot any inaccuracies, post a correction below and we'll do our best to get it fixed ASAP! Our goal is to inform, not mislead.

The remarks of Rep. Rosa Rebimbas begin at the 01:39:48 time stamp:

"Thank you Mr. Speaker and Good Afternoon. Mr Speaker, I also rise in support of the nomination of Chief Justice Rogers, certainly for all of the reasons that have already been stated by the Chairman Tong, I also stand in support of all of those statements made.

Chief Justice Rogers came before us with an opening statement and it was certainly a lengthy opening statement . . . and it was lengthy because she tried to highlight all of the good work that has been accomplished within the Judicial system under her leadership. Certainly she wasn't the only one working hard to make these programs possible but what she is, is the leader that led the way in supporting all of the wonderful things that again have already been stated. When she came in in 2007 as the Chief Justice, she actually laid out a blueprint clearly stating five main goals of which she then highlighted, many of which have been accomplished and are continuing to be accomplished.

Certainly as already previously said, the access to justice, we are now known throughout the nation as the leading example for the positive access to our judicial system, from the web site to languages provided, and because we have so many individuals that are now self represented, they can walk into our court system and feel that their voices could be heard and that’s very important again for making sure that justice is served.

Addressing the needs of the changing demographics, providing services and collaboration between the branches and accountability were also some of the other main goals. We heard not only from the Chief Justice, but we also received a lot of testimony, phone calls, from many different departments and individuals who had directly dealt with the Chief Justice and all of which were very supportive of the programs that have been implemented under her watch and I think that speaks volumes. We actually during the public hearing even had a chuckle because for the very first time we had not only the State’s Attorney’s Office but the public defenders actually admitting to the fact that they supported something together and agreed on something and that was on the nomination of the Chief Justice, um, and we saw that again all across all of the different departments and individuals who have come into contact with her.

She also showed great demeanor and patience throughout the judicial committee’s process of questions and providing information and highlighting the programs that have been successfully implemented.

Her transparency and openness to the Judicial Branch is certainly something to be admired. Um, again she has done great things but has also admitted that that great work continues and we certainly hope to look forward to having her continue to serve us in order to accomplish the many work that has already been done and will continue to be done. So I do stand here, Mr. Speaker in great support of the nomination of the chief justice and her nomination was also unanimously supported out of the judiciary committee, so I do invite all of my colleagues to do the same and show our support for the chief justice and all of the accomplishments she has done and has said will continue. Thank you Mr. Speaker."

(The remarks, in total, represent just over 3 minutes of oration by Rebimbas.)   

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Chase T. Rogers (Old Lyme) Reconfirmed as Chief Justice

Eight years. By our historical temporal scale, eight years is but an instant . . . a veritable flash of light that will barely be noticed on our anthropological calendar. If, however, you are an individual — or worse yet — a family living in Connecticut and need to use the programs, activities or services of our state courts to help you resolve any sort of legal dispute, best if you're wearing a seat belt or something else because it's likely to be a bumpy ride for the foreseeable future.

Either our General Assembly was uninformed, duped, or chose to ignore the full scope of information before them. The Senate had already voted unanimously, as had the Joint Committee on Judiciary, but is it possible that all the public voices would be dismissed, individually and collectively? At this point, it would appear so as the final vote was 139 members of the House voting in favor of the resolution confirming the nomination of the Honorable Chase T. Rogers of Old Lyme to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and a Judge of the Superior Court. Just 74 votes were needed for passage, and so the resolution carried. Only 6 legislators voted "Nay" (Representatives Arce, Candelara, Gonzalez, Sanchez, Tercyzak, and Carter), but even among this group, only Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, a Hartford-Democrat, rose to explain her vote in opposition.

Chase T Rogers Reconfirmed Chief Justice
The final vote as reflected on the board in the House of Representatives Chamber, 139 Yea Votes, 6 Nay Votes, 6 Absent and/or Not Voting. Only Rep's Arce, Candelaria, Gonzalez, Sanchez, Tercyak, and Carter cast Nay votes. 

The vote to consider Rogers reappointment was just one piece of business before the Connecticut House of Representatives on Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The live video coverage by CT-N can now be viewed on demand as part of their archive. To view the relevant portion, advance the below video to the 01:32:55 time mark, you will see and hear remarks from Rep. William Tong (Stamford, also co-chair of the Judiciary Committee), Rep. Rosa Rebimbas (Naugatuck), Rep. Terrie Wood (Darien, Norwalk), Rep. Devin Carney (Old Saybrook, Lyme, Old Lyme, Westbrook), and closing with opposition by Rep. Minnie Gonzalez (Hartford). The votes were cast and the clerk reads the tally, and just 23 minutes after the resolution had been called, it was all over. Resolution adopted at 01:55:48. Another 8 years . . . unless, of course, people in certain positions, both state and federal, actually step up and do their job as awkward and career-limiting as it might seem. We shall see!

Friday, April 10, 2015

4/10/2015 - Judiciary Committee Public Hearing

Chase T. Rogers Renomination Hearing To Serve As Chief Justice
Chase T Rogers, Renomination Hearing 2015
This 12+ hour Judiciary Committee video features the consideration of Chase T. Rogers, current Chief Justice of Connecticut's Supreme Court for her renomination to a second 8-year term. The Chief Justice serves a dual role as both the top jurist of our highest state court, but also as the head of our state Judicial Branch, directing the efforts of thousands of employees and an annual budget exceeding $600 million. Following her statements, there was public testimony for and against renomination.

One thing becomes clear after watching this testimony — there appears to be some very real problems in our state courts, regardless of which attorney/jurist is tasked with heading up the effort. If even a small portion of the testimony is to be believed, malfeasance appears to have infiltrated nearly every aspect of the judicial system, bottom to top, and the public appears to have lost confidence. To restore that confidence, real changes will need to be evident - and soon.  


NAME OF SPEAKER START TIME
Senate Chair Eric Coleman, Esq. (D) 00:00:00
Judge William B. Rush (Fairfield) 00:03:45
Judge Robert F. Vacchelli (Glastonbury) 00:15:00
Judge Robin Pavia (Easton) 00:48:40
Judge James W. Abrams (Meriden) 01:27:20
Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers (Old Lyme) 02:25:15
Atty. Susan O. Storey, Chief Public Defender  >> See Note Below 06:13:40
Atty. Kevin T. Kane, Chief State's Attorney  >> See Note Below 06:30:15
Atty. William H. Clendenen, Jr. 06:33:55
Atty. Paul Greenan (Stamford) 06:43:00
Atty. Priya Morganstern, Director Pro Bono Partnership 07:07:30
Mr. Roger Emerick (Glastonbury) 07:11:40
Mr. Adam McNiece (East Lyme) 07:16:10
Mrs. Maureen Martowska, J.D. (Mass) 07:20:50
Miss Jennifer Verraneault (Branford) 07:33:55
Atty. Frederic S. Ury   >> See Note Below 07:49:25
Mr. Sylvestor Traylor (Oxford) Exhibit 07:53:12
Atty. Steven Eppler-Epstein 08:07:00
Mr. John Clapp 08:13:40
Ms. Cheryl Martone 08:17:45
Mr. Louis Roman (Bridgeport) 08:22:00
Mr. Michael Porzio 08:32:30
Mr. Harold Wilson 08:38:05
Mr. Scott Buden 08:42:45
Ms. Kathryn Sorrentino 08:51:20
Ms. Jeryl Gray 09:05:30
Ms. Linda Palermo 09:11:05
Ms. Marisa Ringel (Southport) 09:16:00
Mr. Daniel M. Lynch (Trumbull) 09:20:10
Ms. Susan Skipp (Litchfield) 09:40:00
Atty. Francis J. Brady (Granby) 09:45:50
Mr. Henry J. Martocchio 09:49:20
Ms. Jane Doe 09:53:50
Mr. Paul Koch (Old Greenwich) 09:57:20
Mr. Hector Morera 10:02:00
Mr. Bill Mulready (Bridgeport), Equal and the Same 10:06:10
Mr. Joey Watley (Thomaston) 10:11:05
Ms. Marjorie Partch 10:20:25
Ms. Ges Elbay? 10:26:00
Mr. Albert Cuseo (Westport) 10:33:45
Ms. Melissa Harris 10:40:10
Public Hearing Closes 10:50:30
Judiciary Committee Meeting Convenes 10:53:10

You can follow this link if you wish to browse the Judiciary Testimony for 04/10/2015. If a name appearing above appears as a link, you can use that link to directly access their testimony as posted on the Judiciary Committee Web site. Additional written testimony may be available on the Judiciary Committee Web site for those who either chose not to present oral testimony or may have been unable to given the duration of the public hearing. One additional advocate opposing the renomination, Elizabeth A. Richter, had shared her recorded testimony prior to the hearing because she was unable to attend.

The public hearing lasted nearly 11 hours. During that time, the first 80-85 minutes were for renomination of four Superior Court Judges (or Judge Trial Referee). The testimony of Chase T. Rogers, including questions and answers, was approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes in length. Following the question/answer portion of the hearing, 7 attorney's and 2 non-attorneys spoke in support of Chase Rogers, and 23 individuals spoke in opposition (including 2 attorneys), with 3 others voicing concerns about the judicial system, but not voicing specific opposition or support of renomination. 

Special Note: From a 'Full Disclosure' perspective, it might have been good for a few of those individuals who gave oral testimony in support of the renomination to have mentioned that they had been appointed by the Chief Justice to serve as a member of one or more Judicial Branch Committees, Commissions or Boards. For example: Attorney's Kevin T. Kane, Susan O. Storey, and Frederick S. Ury serve as members of the Public Service and Trust Commission.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Chief Justice Re-Nomination Hearing Set - 4/10/2015

As with other jurists in Connecticut, the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, once appointed, serves a term of eight years. The term for our current Chief Justice, Chase T. Rogers, is set to expire in late April 2015. After having been rescheduled several times, the re-nomination hearing before the Connecticut Joint Committee on Judiciary is set for April 10, 2015 at 10:30 a.m.

You can use the following links to: