Supreme Colleague: Remembering Connecticut's Justice Robert I. Berdon
Connecticut lost former state Supreme Court Justice Robert I. Berdon last week. Former Justice Joette Katz reflects on working with Berdon for close to a decade.
November 04, 2019 at 08:56 AM
5 minute read
Editor's note: The funeral for late Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Robert I. Berdon, who died last week at age 89, was held Monday.
Last week Connecticut lost a great jurist, Robert I. Berdon. Many have expressed sympathies and reminisced about particular cases they argued before him. I had the honor of working with Bob for close to a decade. Sadly, there are only a few of us left who can claim that privilege. Justice Palmer's remarks last week were extremely eloquent. Mine are a bit more personal.
I first really got to know Bob when I was appointed to the Supreme Court in the fall of 1992. Everyone knew him by reputation as being thoughtful, extremely liberal, and driven by a strong moral compass. Those traits led him to make many controversial decisions while on the trial bench, some finding support in federal court and some just not yet ready to be embraced by higher authorities, that contributed to his being passed over for elevation to the Supreme Court despite his seniority. But Gov. Lowell Weicker, who knew Bob from their political days, also knew his values and the importance of developing a body of jurisprudence under the state Constitution. (As we later witnessed, Weicker was correct and State v. Geisler did not disappoint.)
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