Associate Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonald. Courtesy photo

It was about 20 months ago that Connecticut Associate Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonald was thrust into the national spotlight as the controversial selection of then-Gov. Dannel Malloy to become chief justice of the court.

McDonald, now 53, was narrowly approved for the post in the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, but voted down 19-16 in the Senate, almost exclusively along party lines.

Now, in a wide-ranging interview with the Connecticut Law Tribune, McDonald said he believes some of those who voted against him did so because he is gay. But he said most likely did so because of his longtime friendship with Malloy, a Democrat, for whom he worked when the former governor was mayor of Stamford.

The partisan battle for the high court's top job was pivotal for the judge, who as a boy idolized his two public-defender uncles, and now as a man at the top of his profession, has a strong desire to continue on the bench for another 17 years, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

"It would be an honor of a lifetime," said McDonald, who was born, raised and still lives in Stamford.

Looking back at the fight to become chief justice of the state's high court, a job that ultimately went to Justice Richard Robinson, McDonald said he was saddened by the outcome, but never, ever angry.

"I was disappointed to see a process that I had previously been so intimately involved in as a state senator for eight years turn into something I barely recognized," McDonald, a Democrat, said of the state Legislature. "We had a centuries-old tradition of not voting for or against nominees because of political consideration. I will say it was an unfortunate turn of events, and I hope it was an anomaly in Connecticut history."

McDonald said he also learned about himself during that tumultuous time.

"I learned that I have a reservoir of perseverance and resilience that I did not know I could tap into," McDonald said.

Those who know McDonald well say the man behind the robe is bright, easy-going, dedicated and has a quick wit.

"I met Andrew when he was the 27-year-old campaign manager for Dan Malloy when he was running for mayor of Stamford for the first time," said longtime friend Tom Cassone, now a partner at Meister Seelig & Fein in its Stamford office. "I was surprised that a guy 10 years younger than me was heading a campaign for someone who had a significant chance of winning an election in a city like Stamford."

Cassone continued: "It was a lot of responsibility and Andrew handled it well. He does not take himself too seriously and he has a biting sense of humor and a quick wit."

From the earliest memories, McDonald wanted only to be an attorney. He remembers being 7 years old and idolizing the work that his uncles did in New York City.

"Whenever they'd come to visit, I'd hear stories of the cases they were working on," McDonald recalled. "I was captivated by the whole process and the truth-seeking function of criminal trials."

While McDonald worked for 20 years at Pullman & Comley, he never practiced in criminal law like his uncles. But he said he loved his time at the firm, where he still has many friends. And now, McDonald said he is proud to be on the state Supreme Court, where he was nominated to in 2012.

"Being on the Supreme Court, we have the opportunity and responsibility to really develop our decisions with an eye not only toward getting the law right, but also of serving the interests of the state," he said. "Everyday I am professionally challenged by both the questions in the cases we are working on and by the power of the legal minds with whom I work on the court."

The most important part of being a judge, McDonald said, "is listening critically and probing the outer limits of what the arguments of counsel would mean for the development of the law."

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