In many states, District Attorneys and other executive level prosecutors are elected and their employees serve at their pleasure. This is not the case in Connecticut. All Connecticut state prosecutors are appointed by the Criminal Justice Commission, an independent commission within the Executive Branch of state government. Follow this link for more information about the Criminal Justice Commission and its members.
The Chief State’s Attorney, the Deputy Chief State’s Attorneys and the State’s Attorneys are appointed by the Criminal Justice Commission for a specific term. The length of the term is established by state law. All other prosecutors are hired as permanent employees of the State of Connecticut and can only be terminated for just cause.
Newly appointed prosecutors hold the title of Deputy Assistant State ’s Attorney. Advancement to Assistant State ’s Attorney and Senior Assistant State ’s Attorney is governed by the collective bargaining agreement (union contract) between the State of Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice and the Connecticut Association of Prosecutors, the collective bargaining unit (prosecutors’ union).
The Criminal Justice Commission was established under Article XXIII of the Connecticut Constitution. It consists of six attorneys, two of whom must be Judges of the Superior Court, and the Chief State’s Attorney as an ex-officio member. The Chief State’s Attorney does not participate in the appointment or reappointment process for the Chief State’s Attorney or the Deputy Chief State’s Attorneys.
Non-prosecutor positions in the Division of Criminal Justice are filled through an administrative hiring practice by the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney or the Office of the State’s Attorney for the Judicial District where the position to be filled exists.