Connecticut
Kevin Rennie: Connecticut Bar Association is familiar with silence at crucial moments
Watch your mouth. That was the message from the Connecticut Bar Association’s three top leaders to the organization’s thousands of members, of which I’m one. The June 13 statement was prompted by perpetually aggrieved Donald Trump supporters hurling abuse at prosecutors, jurors and Judge Juan Merchan after the former president’s conviction this month on 34 counts of violating New York law through a 2016 hush money scheme.
The CBA officers, Maggie Castinado, James T. Shearin and Emily A. Gianquinto, condemned but did not name public officials who issued statements calling the trial a sham, hoax, and rigged; abused Judge Merchan as corrupt and unethical; and claimed the jury was partisan and in the bag for guilty verdicts from the start.
The statement excoriated social media posts seeking to breach the confidentiality of the jurors’ identity. What it did not allege is that any Connecticut lawyers were participating in these assaults on the rule of law. Near its conclusion, the trio’s homily got to the point. “It is up to us, as lawyers,” they wrote, “to defend the courts and our judges. As individuals, and as an Association, we cannot let the charged political climate in which we live dismantle the third branch of government. To remain silent renders us complicit in that effort.”
And then U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a lawyer, had to go and spoil it all three days later by unleashing the same type of hyperbole. He called the Supreme Court “brazenly corrupt and brazenly political” on CNN. Murphy added that Justice Clarence Thomas is “just a grift,” while Justice Samuel Alito is an open political partisan.
As of Friday, the civility umpires at the CBA had issued no statement chiding Murphy.
The CBA is familiar with silence at crucial moments. Six years ago, a mob of antisemites targeted the renomination of Judge Jane Emons to the Superior Court. Judge Emons was the target of appalling rhetoric. The CBA released no thunderbolts as the House of Representatives refused to vote on her renomination, forcing her off the bench.
A few years ago, I wrote about Alice Bruno, a Connecticut judge who failed to show up for work for two years while continuing to receive her salary and benefits. Emails showed plenty of people knew that Judge Bruno had been missing in action, but they remained silent. Bruno’s fate was decided in a secret proceeding when she was granted a disability pension that currently pays her more than $5,000 every two weeks. She worked, often erratically, as a Superior Court judge for only four years before she stopped showing up in 2019.
Before becoming a judge, Bruno did an 18-month stint as executive director of the Connecticut Bar Association. It remained silent throughout the Bruno saga, which undermined the public’s confidence in the judiciary.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal published a sensational investigation into the appalling saga of a federal bankruptcy judge and his personal relationship with lawyer Elizabeth Freeman, who had been his law partner and clerk in Houston. One of the nation’s biggest law firms, Kirkland & Ellis, brought in Freeman to work with it on cases before her boyfriend, Judge David R. Jones.
An anonymous letter lit the fuse on exposing the shocking conflicts at work in the nation’s busiest bankruptcy court. Michael Van Deelan, a small investor in a firm that filed for bankruptcy in the Houston court, believed he had not been treated fairly in the shakeout of the company. Van Deelan received a copy of the letter and filed it with the court in an attempt to have Jones disqualified from his case. Van Deelan’s motion was denied and the letter was sealed from public view, the Journal reported.
Van Deelan discovered through an internet search that Jones and Freeman owned a house together since 2017. Plenty of lawyers appear to have known that the two were engaged in a romantic relationship. To expose it would have ended a sweet arrangement that was a bonanza for the firms and their bankruptcy clients who brought Freeman in on their cases.
No one said a word. Only Van Deelan, a 74-year-old retired math teacher, brought justice where corruption ruled. It took an Appellate Court judge only a week to find probable cause by Jones for failing to disclose his relationship with Freeman. He resigned.
It requires no courage for bar association leaders to condemn those discreditable officials who donned red ties and made pilgrimages to New York to stand outside the courthouse to mewl and whine that the justice system was targeting the loathsome demagogue, Donald Trump.
To shine a searing light when something goes wrong in the judicial branch of government when no one is paying attention— that’s what protects the integrity of the system.
Kevin Rennie can be reached at kfrennie@yahoo.com
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NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — In an ever-changing retail space, malls across Connecticut are doing what they can to keep up with the times and rethink what the quintessential mall experience looks like moving forward.
From the hum of escalators and the buttery smell of warm pretzels to eye-catching window displays, shopping malls charmed customers when they first opened in the late 20th century.
For some, those early memories tie back to long days walking the halls of The Westfarms Mall in West Hartford.
“I saw ‘Star Wars’ here; there were movies in the mall back in the mid-70s and 80s,” Ronald Torres of West Hartford said. “The mall changed throughout the years, but this mall has always been a staple in this area.”
Self-described as ‘Central Connecticut’s Premier Shopping Destination,’ the space holds over 140 stores, many of which are filled, for shoppers to choose from.
To keep its legacy strong, General Manager Carolyn Edwards and her team say they are constantly looking ahead for ways to elevate their shopping experience. Recently, the mall has leaned more towards offering unique dining options and special events to pique customers’ interest.
“I think Gen Z right now is really embracing the mall, right? After COVID, you had people who maybe weren’t socializing or coming out,” Edwards said.
Keeping a healthy variety of brands that customers can identify with is also key, from popular national retailers to high-end brands. The mall is soon welcoming Barnes and Noble and Häagen-Dazs just in time for sweet summer treats and beach reads.
“The shoppers come to support it and in turn the retailers say, ‘We want to be at that center cause that’s where the strong shopper base is,’ so it goes hand in hand,” Edwards said.
A Different Story Down The Road
Just a couple of towns over, Enfield Square has been up for conversation by town leaders. Built in the 1970’s, the space stood tall as an economic driver for the town.
Over the past decade, Economic Director Aaron Marcavitch says he’s seen a decline in revenue, followed by a full mall closure for safety reasons. A Target location, which is “anchored” to the mall, has remained open.
“All these different communities that had malls as their hubs are really looking at these as revitalization opportunities,” Marcavitch said. “It’s critical that that parcel be redeveloped in some way. We really don’t want to have a massive, vacant parcel in the core of our community.”
Gears are moving for potential new owners, who have already proposed plans to town leaders to turn the mall into a mixed-use space, including a central retail hub and apartment units.
News 8 reached out to the Enfield Square mall’s representation but was declined for an interview.
Betting on Community Over Commerce
At The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, General Manager Justin Roberts is also giving the modern-day mall experience a second look.
“Malls themselves have had to change over the years. It’s not the same environment as the 90’s,” Roberts said. “What we’ve noticed is that many of the malls that are successful do have these third spaces, places to go, things to do. It generates a lot more foot traffic.”
In addition to offering national brands, small businesses are bringing unique offerings to customers. Roberts says he’s also leaning towards something online retail can’t replicate: More entertainment spaces to fill empty storefronts. Roberts says the mall has already had plenty of success with its tenant, The Funny Bone Comedy Club.
“Community theatres, roller rinks. Things for people to do and be involved in a community,” Roberts said. “We want welcoming third spaces.”
Have your umbrella for showers early this morning but it will clear out soon! Mainly dry, breezy and cool for later today. Cooler tomorrow with an isolated shower possible, but a more widespread rain is expected for Saturday. The weather improves for Mother’s Day until rain returns during the evening through Monday morning. The pattern looks active next week as well! We do need the rain!
Early this morning: Rain ending with lows in the 40s to around 50.
Today: Partly to mostly sunny, breezy and pleasant. Highs in the low to mid 60s.
Tonight: Dry and chilly for the evening with late clouds and isolated shower. Lows 33-42. Spotty frost possible inland.
Tomorrow: Clouds and sun. A sprinkle or brief shower possible. Highs in the upper 50s to lower 60s.
Saturday: Rain developing for much of the day. Highs only in the 50s.
Sunday (Mother’s Day): Sun to PM clouds with late day & evening showers. Highs in the 60s to lower 70s.
Monday: Morning rain ending then drying out in the afternoon. Highs in the low to mid 60s.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 60s.
Wednesday: Rain returns with highs in the mid 60s.
Thursday: More rain possible. Highs in the mid 60s.
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