For four hours Tuesday, attorneys delivered their closing arguments in the high-profile civil case over whether Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz is qualified to run for attorney general.<\/p>\n
The four hours of arguments was extraordinary – easily ranking among the longest in recent state history.<\/p>\n
Even in murder cases, the closing arguments sometimes last less than one hour. Cases in front of the Connecticut Supreme Court – the state’s highest court – are routinely argued faster than the Bysiewicz summations.<\/p>\n
In the Beth Carpenter murder-for-hire capital felony case in New London in 2002, in which the defendant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release, the closing arguments were shorter than in the Bysiewicz case. The prosecution, headed by now-chief state’s attorney Kevin Kane and fellow prosecutor Peter McShane, had one hour for the final argument. The defense, headed by Hugh Keefe and assisted by Tara Knight, also had one hour. Kane then had time for rebuttal before the case went to the jury, which declared Carpenter guilty on all counts.<\/p>\n
Rule 15-7 of the Superior Court practice book, which cites Section 52-209 of the general statutes, says, “The argument on behalf of any party shall not occupy more than one hour, unless the judicial authority, on motion for special cause, before the commencement of such argument, allows a longer time.”<\/p>\n
State Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, a longtime attorney who co-chairs the legislature’s judiciary committee, said that Judge Michael Sheldon is obviously being careful in allowing extended time for the closing arguments. One of the reasons, Lawlor said, is that the case has been fast-tracked and issues that might have been settled in the court over the course of months are now all being jammed into the final arguments.<\/p>\n
“This may end up in the Supreme Court,” Lawlor said. “If they get there, they’ll get an hour.”<\/p>\n
Known for his patience, Sheldon has displayed both patience and perserverance in a courtroom filled with high-profile participants under an intense media spotlight.<\/p>\n
“He’s one of the smartest judges in the state – no question about it,” Lawlor told Capitol Watch. “He’s the kind of guy you want dealing with this. There’s a lot of potential ramifications in this. The judge has to be super careful. He wants to make sure he has considered every single thing.”<\/p>\n
The Hartford Courant’s veteran political reporter, Jon Lender, has been inside Sheldon’s courtroom and filed this dispatch.<\/p>\n