Governor nominates next chief justice of the state Supreme Court

Gov. Ned Lamont is nominating the Honorable Raheem L. Mullins to become the next chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Justice Mullins, an associate justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, has been in the role since Nov. 1, 2017.

Lamont said he became the youngest person to ever serve on the Supreme Court when he took the oath.

“Justice Mullins has had an impressive career serving on all three levels of Connecticut’s courts, and during his years on the bench he has earned the respect of many in the state’s legal community and those who have come before him as a fair, transparent, measured, and sensible jurist with a keen interest in researching and analyzing any number of complex legal issues that come before him,” Lamont said in a statement.

Mullins, who was born in Middletown, graduated from Watkinson School in Hartford, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and earned a Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, according to Lamont’s office.

He clerked for Judge Frederick Brown on the Massachusetts Appeals Court from 2004 to 2005.

He served as a judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court from 2014 to 2017 and also served as a judge of the Connecticut Superior Court from 2012 to 2014.

“I am honored by the nomination to serve as chief justice of the State of Connecticut and am grateful for the confidence Governor Ned Lamont has in me,” Justice Mullins said in a statement. “My respect for the judiciary runs deep, having served at all three levels – as a Superior Court judge, an Appellate Court judge, and a Supreme Court justice. If confirmed, I will strive to enhance the Connecticut Judicial Branch’s accessibility, efficiency, fairness, and responsiveness to the needs of the diverse communities we serve. I will work diligently to live up to the responsibilities of the position and to honor the hard work and sacrifices of all those who have come before me to make this day possible.”

Before becoming a judge, Justice Mullins served as an assistant state’s attorney in the Appellate Bureau of the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.

Before becoming an appellate prosecutor, Justice Mullins served as an assistant attorney general in the Child Protection Division of the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, the governor’s office said.

Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson is retiring from the court effective Sept. 6.

The Office of the Governor is forwarding Justice Mullins’ nomination to the Connecticut General Assembly for the advice and consent of the Judiciary Committee as an interim appointment to succeed Chief Justice Robinson.

When the next regular legislative session starts on Jan. 8, the Office of the Governor will again forward Justice Mullins’ nomination for the advice and consent of the full legislature.