Mark Pazniokas

The legislature’s Judiciary Committee today postponed a confirmation vote on an all-white class of nine judicial nominees after an ad hoc filibuster by black and Puerto Rican legislators. Members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus are pressuring Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration to add a minority lawyer to what may be her last group […]

With the legislature’s adjournment deadline of May 5 fast approaching, the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus suddenly found itself with new political muscle Monday. Its members staged an ad hoc filibuster over Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s nomination of 10 white lawyers to the Superior Court and pressed for Rell to nominate a minority lawyer. Their […]

The Connecticut General Assembly’s annual battle over health-care mandates resumed Wednesday with a debate over prescription eye drops for children. On a 23-12 party-line vote, the Senate approved legislation requiring health insurers to cover the cost of an extra bottle of prescription eye drops for children, so they can keep one at school. Every Democrat […]

“All deliberate speed.” That was the promise Superior Court Judge Michael R. Sheldon made this afternoon about how quickly he will resolve a question over Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz’s qualifications to run for attorney general. Sheldon is aware that delegates to the Democratic nominating convention will endorse a candidate for attorney general on […]

Nine judicial nominations threatened by a court funding fight will go forward as a result of an agreement reached by Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration and the judicial branch. The administration has agreed to forgo $7.8 million in cuts that were anticipated by the end of the fiscal year and to pledge a more collaborative […]

A Hartford Superior Court judge cast doubt Tuesday on many, but not all, of Susan Bysiewicz’s claims that her duties as secretary of the state constituted the “active practice” of law. Judge Michael R. Sheldon heard final arguments in a case that Bysiewicz brought against her own office to resolve doubts about her eligibility to […]

A budget fight with constitutional overtones escalated Tuesday as legislators pressured Gov. M. Jodi Rell to withdraw nine judicial nominations until the courts get increased funding. A majority of House members signed a letter opposing confirming any new judges, effectively holding the nominations hostage until Rell relents on budget cutbacks. The letter was circulated by […]

Dan Malloy: The only gubernatorial candidate close to qualifying for public financing A byproduct of the John G. Rowland corruption scandal is that candidates who raise $250,000 in small amounts can qualify for $4.25 million in public financing to run for governor. But the Citizens’ Election Program, passed a year after Rowland’s resignation in 2004, […]

Republican candidate Linda McMahon has pumped another $8 million into her U.S. Senate campaign, bringing her personal investment in the race to about $14.5 million. Her latest contribution, which will be listed as a loan in her official filing, is listed in a brief summary of her fundraising for the first three months of 2010 […]

A Superior Court judge refused to rule Thursday that Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz was unqualified to run for attorney general, reserving judgment until after final arguments next week. Judge Michael R. Sheldon rejected a motion by the Republican Party that Bysiewicz, a Democrat, had failed to prove she met the minimum statutory requirements […]

Accused of gross mismanagement one day, the state Department of Children and Families responded the next by asking a judge to end 18 years of court oversight, citing “monumental and sustained improvements.” “The timing is nothing short of astonishing,” said Sarah Eagan, who has closely followed the case as the director of the Child Abuse […]

Under oath and in open court, the Democratic front-runner for attorney general was roughly cross-examined Wednesday about her qualifications by a lawyer for the Connecticut Republican Party. Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz invited the novel interrogation by asking a Hartford Superior Court judge in February to rule on whether she has the necessary 10 […]

Rob Simmons demanded Monday that Linda McMahon, his rival for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate, explain why she appeared to direct an employee to tip off the target of a steroids investigation in 1989. In a press conference on the north steps of the State Capitol, Simmons delivered his harshest criticism to date […]

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont reported Monday that he raised $342,000 in the quarter ending March 31, matching the Republican front-runner, Tom Foley. The two Greenwich businessmen have opted out of the state’s public financing system and are raising money privately. Each can afford to also use their own money in the race. Neither candidate’s […]