U.S. District Judge Christopher F. Droney of West Hartford was nominated today by President Obama to the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
“At every step of his career Judge Droney has performed with excellence and unwavering integrity,” Obama said in a statement just issued by the White House. “I am confident he will serve the American people with distinction on the Circuit Court bench.”
Droney is a former Democratic politician who was named U.S. attorney and then to the bench with the support of U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, whose first Senate campaign was greatly helped by Droney’s brother, former Democratic State Chairman John F. Droney.
As U.S. attorney, Droney won the allegiance of the career prosecutorial staff and federal agents. His office coordinated major gang crackdowns in the 1990s that helped quell violence and drug trafficking in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport.
A federal investigation of Los Solidos, a gang that ran open-air drug markets in Hartford, was initiated soon after he became U.S. attorney in 1993.
Lieberman and Sen. Richard Blumenthal were quick to issue statements of support.
“I firmly believe that Judge Droney will be an outstanding addition to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals,” said Lieberman. “His profound commitment to the rule of law and the integrity of the legal system will serve the court well. Judge Droney presided over countless federal civil and criminal trials in his commendable career on the federal bench and his unique legal skills earned him a distinguished record as a District Judge of Connecticut. I commend him on his nomination.”
“This nomination is truly great news for our nation and our justice system. Having known Christopher Droney a long time and litigated before him in District Court, I strongly and enthusiastically support his nomination by President Obama to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals,” said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I have no doubt that he will be an extraordinarily dedicated and distinguished member of the Court of Appeals.”