- Peter T. Zarella
Justice Peter T. Zarella is an Associate Justice of the
Connecticut Supreme Court [http://www.jud.state.ct.us/external/supapp/justice11.html] . He was appointed by former GovernorJohn G. Rowland in January 2001. Justice Zarella is the former chair of the Connecticut Criminal Justice Commission [http://www.das.state.ct.us/Digest/Digest_2004/Criminal%20Justice%20Commission.htm] and the current chair of the Rules Committee which has responsibility for proposing revisions to the rules of the Superior Court.In 2004 Justice Zarella authored the minority opinion (joined by then Chief Justice
William J. Sullivan and Associate JusticeJoette Katz ) in the importantKelo v. New London case, which was subsequently heard by theUnited States Supreme Court . The state court sided with the city in an en banc 4-3 decision, with the majority opinion authored by JusticeFlemming L. Norcott, Jr. and joined by JusticesDavid M. Borden ,Richard N. Palmer andChristine S. Vertefeuille . The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Connecticut Supreme Court's decision in favor of the city, in a 5-4 decision, with the dissent written by Justice O'Connor and joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist and Justices Scalia and Thomas. The Kelo decision is studied as a continuation of the expansion of governments' power to seize property througheminent domain , although the widespread negative popular reaction has spurred a backlash in which many state legislatures have curtailed their eminent domain power.On March 24, 2006 Justice Zarella was nominated by Governor
M. Jodi Rell to replace Chief JusticeWilliam J. Sullivan , who had announced his retirement [http://www.ct.gov/governorrell/cwp/view.asp?A=2425&Q=311396] scheduled for April 15, 2005. TheConnecticut Supreme Court became embroiled in a lengthy ethics scandal, however, when theHartford Courant revealed that retiring Chief JusticeWilliam J. Sullivan postponed the publication of a controversial decision opposing Freedom of Information Act requests for documents that track the status and history of legal cases in the Connecticut legal system until hearings for his proposed successor, Justice Zarella, were completed [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/1221209801.html?dids=1221209801:1221209801&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Feb+22%2C+2007&author=EDMUND+H.+MAHONY&pub=Hartford+Courant&edition=&startpage=A.1&desc=CONTRITE+SULLIVAN+ADMITS+MISTAKE+] . Both justices ruled in favor of the restrictions. Legislators speculated that Sullivan delayed the publication of the court's opinion because he feared it might damage Zarella's chances of becoming Chief Justice. This was subsequently confirmed in testimony by Sullivan [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/nyregion/22court.html?ei=5124&en=61add651a6ac3bb6&ex=1329886800&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink&pagewanted=all] . In April 2006 Governor Rell withdrew Zarella's nomination to be Chief Justice at his request after these revelations [http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2006/04/24/zarella_wants_rell_to_withdraw_his_nomination_for_chief_justice/] .
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