Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Robinson. Courtesy Photo

From Nina Elgo being named the first Asian Pacific-American jurist to the Connecticut Appellate Court and Richard Robinson becoming the first black chief justice to the Connecticut Supreme Court, the courts have seen some dramatic changes in recent years.

The Connecticut Law Tribune interviewed nearly a dozen judges in 2018 as part of a series of profiles of jurists on the Superior Court, Supreme Court, Appellate Court and federal bench.

The following are five of the more notable and intriguing interviews, with judges listed alphabetically.

Superior Court Judge James Abrams:

At an early age, James Abrams wanted to be an actor. He took up and excelled in acting in high school and at Trinity College in Hartford. The Connecticut native even relocated to Seattle to give acting a real shot. As it turned out his biggest role was playing Dr. Watson in a “Sherlock Holmes” play.

Abrams realized acting was not for him, but still not envisioning a career in law, he entered the world of special education, working in several New Haven-based residential facilities. He was late to law, taking night courses at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where he graduated with honors at age 32.

He pressed forward as an attorney, primarily as a solo practitioner with a concentration in civil litigation, probate, commercial law and real estate. The former state legislator and aspiring actor got the role of a lifetime in 2007 when he was appointed Superior Court judge.

“I think I am more suited, personally, to be a judge than a lawyer,” Abrams said. “As a lawyer, I was always looking to resolve a case at the earliest possible juncture and to the least cost to my client. I was solution-oriented, not adversarial. Some people want lawyers who are very adversarial, and that is just not my style.”

Judge Elizabeth Bozzuto:

A successful law partner at Waterbury's Secor, Cassidy & McPartland before she was appointed to the bench in 2000, Elizabeth Bozzuto worked in many jurisdictions in the state from courthouses in Bridgeport, Litchfield, Waterbury, Danbury, Bristol and Hartford. Fifteen of those 18 years, including five as chief administrative judge for the family division, had seen Bozzuto preside over family court.

Bozzuto admits most judges want to stay as far away from family court as possible but, she said, she relished the role and looked forward to going to work every day.

The nature of family court is stressful, as divorces took up much of her time, but Bozzuto said she tried her hardest to have broken families avoid litigation at all costs in order to benefit the children.

“It's usually a divorce matter and they are sharing with you details of their lives,” Bozzuto said. “My goal is to steer the parents away from litigating any issues relevant to the children. I've been doing this a long time, and I cannot find one case where kids have benefited from having parents fighting over them and from spending a part of their childhood in a courtroom.”

Appellate Court Judge Nina Elgo:

Nina Elgo has had a career capped off by many “firsts,” from being the first Asian Pacific-American judge named to the Superior Court in Connecticut in 2004 and the nine-member Connecticut Appellate Court in May 2017.

Elgo, who has never been in private practice but worked for the Attorney General's Office from 1990 to 2004, primarily assigned to the Child Protection Unit, said she takes her role as the first in her ethnic group to reach pinnacle posts in the law in Connecticut seriously.

“It makes my appointment significant to the extent that it's more public and gets a little more notice,” said Elgo, a first-generation Filipino-American. “Maybe, I put a little more pressure on myself because of it. I'm aware of it [the milestone], you can't help but be aware of it. It's important to me, who as a first, to keep my eye on the ball and to note, first and foremost, that my responsibility is to be a judge and to fulfill those responsibilities to the best of my ability.”

Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Robinson:

Another glass ceiling broke when Richard Robinson became the state's first black Supreme Court chief justice in May.

Robinson, who was appointed to the top post after serving four and a half years as associate justice, said he'd been told by others about the importance of the appointment.

But, in an interview earlier this year with the Connecticut Law Tribune, the Stamford native said the news was still just sinking in to him.

“I'm just beginning to digest what it means to be the first African-American chief justice in the state,” he said. “I've heard from a lot of people, black and white and men and women and politicians and laypeople, on what it means to them. A lot of people are saying it's wonderful that Connecticut has made this huge step.”

Robinson added: “I am just now beginning to embrace how important this all is. Many people have said they never saw this coming in their lifetime.”

Appellate Court Judge Michael Sheldon: 

Michael Sheldon always had a fascination with Russia and its people, especially growing up in the height of the Cold War. He studied Russian in high school and then again at Princeton University, where his specialty was Russian studies and international affairs.

Throughout his life and career, he has traveled to Russia in an effort to build trust and bridges, most notably with those in the legal community.

Sheldon, who sits on the Connecticut Appellate Court, was named vice chairman of the Connecticut-Pskov Rule of Law Project in 2003. In that role, he organized and participated in teaching at annual educational seminars for Russian judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers.

“They were approaching the process of starting jury trials and updating their system of justice,” Sheldon said. “They were experimenting with things like plea bargaining. We learned from each other.”

Related Stories:

From the Stage to the Bench: Judge James Abrams Talks Acting and Transitioning Back to the Courtroom

Judge Elizabeth Bozzuto Talks Family Court, Her Heroes and Transitioning to a New Role

A Woman of Many 'Firsts': Nina Elgo Takes On New Role as Connecticut Appellate Court Judge

Connecticut's New Chief Justice Richard Robinson Talks About His Historic Rise

Judge Sheldon Talks About His Relationship With Russia's Legal Community