State Supreme Court Associate Justice Joette Katz, 57, has decided to leave what could have been a career-long job, with pro forma legislative confirmations every eight years, to take the most-thankless job in state government: commissioner of the state Department of Children and Families.
So who’s the most-likely to succeed Katz, of Fairfield, on the high court?
Looking at the Supreme’s AAA team, the Connecticut Appellate Court, the Blogster sees that in a one-for-one female appointment, Gov.-elect Dannel Malloy could pick Judge – they are called judges at the appellate level, not justices – Alexandra DiPentima, also 57.
Another possibility, if Malloy wanted to use the Stamford connection, would by Appellate Court Judge Richard A. Robinson, who will turn 53 next week. Robinson was a corporation counsel for Stamford for five years before Malloy became mayor.
Then there’s the Blogster’s prediction: Appellate Court Judge Lubbie Harper Jr., 68, a New Haven fixture, who pinch hit with the Supremes last year, siding with Justice Richard Palmer’s ground-breaking decision that opened the way for gay marriage in the state of Connecticut.