Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday announced the nominations of 20 jurists to serve in positions on Connecticut’s courts.

By Ronni Newton

Gov. Ned Lamont announced multiple judicial nominations on Monday that are being forwarded to the Connecticut General Assembly for approval, including Honorable William H. Bright, Jr. as an associate justice of the Supreme Court and the Honorable Robin L. Wilson as a judge of the Appellate Court, and among the 13 he also nominated to become judges of the Superior Court, three are from West Hartford.

The West Hartford residents who are nominees, all women, include Kaitlin A. Halloran, Angeline Ioannou, and Latonia C. Williams.

Halloran, 41, is a graduate of New York University and obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Since the firm she co-founded in 2010, Halloran & Halloran, merged with BBB Attorneys in 2021, she has focused on litigation of complex cases, and has also maintained an active pro bono special education practice assisting families in navigating the system and accessing services,

Ioannou, 55, is a graduate of Sacred Heart University and obtained her Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, DE (now Widener University Commonwealth Law School). She has more than 25 years experience in the litigation of complex tort and medical malpractice matters involving wrongful death and catastrophic injury, and is managing partner of the Hartford office of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard and Smith, LLP.

Williams, 41, is a graduate of Howard University and obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. As a partner at Shipman and Goodwin LLP, her practice focuses on commercial litigation matters in state and federal courts, including commercial bankruptcies, landlord-tenant disputes, and commercial foreclosures. She also serves on the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch Client Security Fund Committee and the board of directors for Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut, Inc.

“Nominating judges to serve on our courts is one of the most important responsibilities of a governor, especially because judges are the final authority on the interpretation of the law and the constitution, and for ensuring that justice is administered fairly and without prejudice,” Lamont said in a statement. “Judge Bright has been an excellent leader of our Appellate Court over these last four and a half years, and he has had an impressive career handling all types of cases both on the trial and appellate levels. Likewise, Judge Wilson is an incredibly well-respected member of Connecticut’s legal community, having served in the Superior Court for more than two decades. I am confident that these nominees each have the high standards and qualifications the people of Connecticut deserve to have serving for them on the bench.”

In addition to the three from West Hartford, the other 10 Superior Court judicial nominees announced by the governor on Monday are:

• David G. Bothwell, 55, of Fairfield
• Tracie C. Brown, 53, of Windsor
• Michael C. D’Agostino, 53, of Hamden
• Jesse Giddings, 43, of North Haven
• Diana M. Gomez, 42, of Easton
• Donald R. Green, 58, of Meriden
• Kevin C. Kelly, 65, of Stratford
• Daniel Shapiro, 58, of Westbrook
• Kevin Shea, 58, of Madison
• Yonatan Zamir, 48, of Woodbridge

According to Monday’s announcement by the governor, there were currently 22 judicial vacancies on the Connecticut Superior Court.

Lamont also is nominating two jurists to serve as family support magistrates (Benedict R. Daigle, 43, of Cromwell and LeeAnn Neal, 39, of Waterbury) and three (Michael L. Anderson, 54, of North Stonington; Christine Conley, 42, of Groton; and Colette Griffin, 66, of Newtown) as administrative law judges on the Workers’ Compensation Commission.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.