Democratic lawmakers are pressing Gov. M. Jodi Rell to pull back her nine remaining judicial nominations. About 90 signed a letter Tuesday asking House Speaker Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden, not to allow a vote on the nominees.
With a legislative judiciary committee hearing on the Superior Court nominees scheduled for Friday, the Democrats are pressing the issue raised months ago by the committee’s co-chairmen, Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, and Sen. Andrew McDonald, D-Stamford.
Lawlor and McDonald say the state cannot afford the more than $2 million it would cost to hire the judges, which they say are unneeded, because the state’s judicial branch is in such a financial crisis that is closing courthouses and law libraries, and lacks adequate security and support personnel.
Rell vetoed a bill last year that would have given the judicial branch an additional $8 million to deal with its problems, Lawlor said. He said unless legislation is approved with Rell’s support to help the judicial branch, his committee will hold the Friday hearing that is its legal duty but will give the nominees negative reports when it sends them on for votes in the General Assembly.
Lawlor said the nominees are well qualified and he knows several personally but “they will not be approved by the House … until the budget issues are addressed.”
Tuesday’s letter asks Donovan to refuse to take up the nominations for a vote in the House until Rell relents. Donovan said he would discuss the letter with Rell as part of budget talks.
Rell’s office declined comment.
Lawlor said Rell could spare the nominees embarrassment by withdrawing their names now and submitting them again after the legislative session when the budget issues have been addressed.
Rell originally nominated 10 as judges but one of them, state prosecutor Brian Leslie, withdrew his name after a Sunday Courant column by Kevin Rennie said Leslie had been accused of “subverting” the prosecutor’s unit he was in when he was passed over for a promotion. Among Rell’s other nominees are her state budget director, Robert Genuario, and Public Safety Commissioner John Danaher.
House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, said he thinks Democrats want to stall until Rell leaves office early next year and fill judicial vacancies themselves. Democratic leaders denied that.