Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont on Thursday nominated state Supreme Court Justice Raheem L. Mullins to be the state’s next chief justice, calling him a fair, sensible and empathetic jurist with experience at all three levels of the state’s judicial system.
If the General Assembly confirms his appointment next year, Mullins will succeed Retiring Chief Justice Richard A. Robinsonthe first black chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Mullins would be the second.
Lamont said he was optimistic about the bipartisan legislative support for Mullins, who has served as an associate justice since 2017. Mullins was the youngest person ever appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court. Now 46, he has participated in more than 150 cases and written about 70 majority opinions while on the high court.
Mullins served on the Connecticut Court of Appeals from 2014 to 2017 and on the Connecticut Supreme Court from 2012 to 2014.
“I think a lot of people know Raheem, know his background, know that he has the legal skills to do the job, know that he’s been on the Supreme Court for over seven years (and) knows what he’s doing,” Lamont said. “And I think that’s generated a very positive response on both sides of the aisle.”
Sen. John Kissel, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Mullins “a great choice for Chief Justice” in a written statement.
Mullins said he was honored by the nomination and recognized the seriousness of the job. In addition to serving as a judge on the court, the chief justice is the head of the judicial branch of Connecticut’s state government and oversees the administration of the state’s courts.
He named former Judge Lubbie Harper Jr. and Robinson as his legal mentors, noting how the justice system will miss Robinson’s leadership and guidance. Mullins then joked how he personally would miss his long conversations with Robinson, “despite the huge, huge age difference between us.”
Mullins said in a written statement that he will work to improve the “accessibility, efficiency, fairness and responsiveness of the justice system to the needs of the diverse communities we serve.”
Mullins was born in Middletown, Connecticut, received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. He clerked on the Massachusetts Appeals Court from 2004 to 2005 before being admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court bar and the Connecticut bar.
Before becoming a judge, Mullins was an assistant state attorney in the Appellate Bureau of the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. He also served as an assistant attorney general in the Child Protection Division of the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office.
The General Assembly will convene on Jan. 8, 2025. Since Robinson is retiring, effective Sept. 6, Lamont said a member of the Connecticut Appellate Court will step in if needed. He said he expects to nominate a new judge this fall or early next year.