Press Releases
01/08/2018
Gov. Malloy Announces His Intention to Nominate Andrew J. McDonald to Serve as Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court
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(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that in the coming weeks he intends to nominate Justice Andrew J. McDonald to serve as Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.
The position is anticipated to become vacant effective February 5 following the impending retirement of Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers, who late last year announced her plans to step down from the bench on that date following 20 years of judicial service with the state.
Justice McDonald has served as an Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court since January 2013, following his nomination by Governor Malloy. He also currently serves as Chairman of the Connecticut Criminal Justice Commission, the group constitutionally charged with appointing all state prosecutors within the Division of Criminal Justice.
Upon his confirmation to the court in 2013, Justice McDonald became the first openly gay appellate jurist in Connecticut history. If confirmed as its Chief Justice, he will become the first openly gay Supreme Court Chief Justice of any state in the country.
“Justice McDonald has proven himself to be a consummate, revered jurist who has an exceptional ability to understand, analyze, research, and evaluate legal issues,” Governor Malloy said. “He has a deep understanding of the role and the impact that the justice system has on the everyday lives of Connecticut residents, and the value of ensuring equality and fairness through the court’s many responsibilities. His experience having served as an Associate Justice on our state’s highest court, where he has undertaken some of the most complicated of cases in the state, will benefit him well in the position of Chief Justice. I am pleased that Justice McDonald has agreed to accept this challenge, and I am confident that his years of distinguished service on the bench will serve him well in this leadership capacity.”
“I am deeply grateful to Governor Malloy for the confidence and trust he has placed in me with this nomination,” Justice McDonald said. “If confirmed by the legislature, it would be the honor of a lifetime to continue the great and tireless work of Chief Justice Rogers administering justice on behalf of the people of Connecticut in a fair, timely, transparent and efficient manner.”
Justice McDonald has nearly three decades of experience as an attorney in Connecticut. For most of his legal career, he served as a litigation partner for Pullman & Comley, LLC, for whom he chaired the firm’s appellate practice. Additionally, he served as the Director of Legal Affairs and Corporation Counsel for the City of Stamford from 1999 to 2002, when Governor Malloy served as mayor of the city. He also served as General Counsel to Governor Malloy from 2011 to 2013.
In addition to his experience as an attorney, Justice McDonald held several elected positions in the state, including as State Senator of the Connecticut General Assembly’s 27th Senatorial District of Stamford and Darien from 2003 to 2011, during which he served as Deputy Majority Leader and Senate Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. From 1995 to 1999 he was elected to serve on the Stamford Board of Finance, including two years as Chairman, and also was elected to the Stamford Board of Representatives from 1993 to 1995.
Justice McDonald graduated from Cornell University in 1988 and received his law degree, with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1991, where he was Managing Editor of the Connecticut Journal of International Law.
He lives in Stamford with his husband, Charles Gray.
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