Connecticut judge who collected as much as $400K while missing 2 years of work tells state Supreme Court she should not be disciplined

By Edmund H. Mahony

Judge Alice Bruno told the state Supreme Court on Tuesday that she should not be disciplined for missing more than two years of work while collecting as much as $400,000 in salary because she suffers from a disabling health condition that state judicial administrators exacerbated by refusing to provide her with some sort of accommodation.

Bruno spoke for only minutes during an unusual, hours-long hearing at which the court ordered her to appear in person to answer why it should not suspend or remove her. It was the first time in its history that the court initiated proceedings to remove a judge and it was not immediately clear how it would end. The justices are expected to issue a written opinion in the near future on whether to initiate an investigation that could lead to discipline or removal. If they were to choose to investigate, they would have to decide whether to appoint an investigator or pass the matter to the secretive state Judicial Review Council, which hears routine complaints about judges.

It was clear from the outset Tuesday that the court was on new ground. the purpose of the hearing was to give Bruno an opportunity to argue why she shouldn’t be disciplined.

In spite of its instruction that Bruno answer questions in person, her lawyer filed 11th-hour motions a day earlier asking that she be excused from appearing and that two sets of her medical records — which underpin the proceeding — be sealed from the public and kept out of the discussion. Bruno’s lawyer, Jacques Parenteau, also told the justices that she intends to retire on a medical disability — something Chief Justice Richard Robinson said could make the hearing and questions about discipline or removal moot. (Click to continue reading)

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Connecticut judge who collected as much as $400K while missing 2 years of work tells state Supreme Court she should not be disciplined