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Senate advances dozens of judicial nominations on consent calendar
Summary
The Connecticut Senate placed a large slate of judicial nominations on its consent calendar and confirmed a broad roster of judges and referees by unanimous consent votes during its Jan. 28 session.
During its Jan. 28 session the Connecticut Senate disposed of a large consent calendar that contained many judicial confirmations and reappointments spanning state referees, superior court judges and appellate judges.
Senator Winfield moved acceptance of joint committee reports and repeatedly asked to place items on the consent calendar. Senators across the aisle, including Senator Kissel and Senator Looney, spoke in support of many nominees, describing long careers in the judiciary and experience on complex dockets.
The consent calendar included nominees confirmed without individual roll-call votes on the floor. Those nominees included, among others: Robert L. Cizaskis (board of pardons and parole), Brian T. Fisher (state referee), Richard N. Palmer (state referee), Mary Margaret D. Bergdorf (senior judge of the Superior Court), Salina M. Ocelena (workers' compensation administrative law judge), Bruce P. Hudak (state referee), Patty Jenkins Pittman (state referee), Susan S. Reynolds (state referee), Gregory T. D'Auria (associate judge of the Supreme Court and judge of the Superior Court), Holly Avery Whetstone (state referee), Gerard I. Adelman (state referee), Joseph P. Flynn (state referee), Nina F. Elgo (appellate court judge and judge of the Superior Court), Fleming L. Norcott Jr. (state referee), Bethany J. Alvord (appellate court judge and judge of the Superior Court), and dozens of others listed on the printed Senate agenda.
Later in the day the Senate also confirmed multiple additional superior court judges on a separate consent calendar, including Barry F. Amata, Matthew J. Budzik, John L. Cordani, Matthew D. Gordon, Ernest Green Jr., Corinne L. Platt, Kimberly A. Knox, Margaret M. Murphy, Sherry A. Murphy, Tammy N. O'Brien (listed on agenda under her judicial name), Sheila A. Ozalis, W. Glenn Pearson, Walter M. Spader Jr., Elizabeth J. Stewart, and Thomas J. Welch, among others.
Where specific nominees were removed from consent and subjected to a separate roll-call vote (for example House Joint Resolution No. 31 for Elizabeth A. Bizzuto), the transcript records the separate roll call and a recorded tally for that nominee. For the majority of nominees placed on the consent calendar the Senate adopted the slate by voice or machine vote without separate debate and sent the confirmations to the House as indicated on the agenda.
The large slate reflects routine reappointments and confirmations of judges and referees whose first terms were expiring and who had received favorable reports from the judiciary committee. Floor remarks emphasized nominees' judicial experience, service on complex dockets, and availability to serve as referees to supplement judicial capacity in the state court system.
