CHIEF JUSTICES

The highest court in Connecticut was the General Assembly, until 1784, when it relinquished its functions as an appellate tribunal to the upper house, which, when sitting for these purposes, was designated as the Supreme Court of Errors. The presiding officer or Chief Judge was at first the Deputy Governor, and later the Governor. In 1807 the membership of this court was completely changed by substituting, under an Act of the preceding year, the Judges of the Superior Court, the Chief Judge of which became the presiding officer. The customary appellation was for some years, Chief Judge, but in the Constitution of 1818 the term Chief Justice was employed and confirmed a practice already established in that respect.

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF CHIEF JUSTICES SINCE THE

PRESENT FORM OF ORGANIZATION WAS ADOPTED

 ¹Appointed Chief Justice effective April 16, 1957; retired by limitation of age on August 11, 1957.

²Appointed Chief Justice effective August 11, 1957 in succession to Patrick B. O'Sullivan.

³Appointed Chief Justice effective May 6, 1958 in succession to Kenneth Wynne, who retired by limitation of age on May 5, 1958.

⁴Appointed Chief Justice by the Governor, July 24, 1959 in succession to Edward J. Daly who died July 20, 1959.

⁵Appointed Chief Justice effective August 31, 1963 in succession to Raymond E. Baldwin, who retired by limitation of age on said date.

⁶Appointed Chief Justice effective April 21, 1970 in succession to John Hamilton King, who retired by limitation of age on said date.

⁷Appointed Chief Justice effective May 14, 1971 in succession to Howard Wells Alcorn, who retired by limitation of age on said date.

⁸Appointed Chief Justice effective April 24, 1978 in succession to Charles S. House, who retired by limitation of age on said date.

⁹Appointed Chief Justice effective March 2, 1981 in succession to John P. Cotter, who retired by limitation of age on said date.

¹⁰Appointed Chief Justice effective November 12, 1981 in succession to Joseph W. Bogdanski, who retired by limitation of age on said date.

¹¹Appointed Chief Justice effective November 21, 1984 in succession to John A. Speziale, who retired on said date.

¹²Appointed Chief Justice effective September 1, 1996 in succession to Ellen A. Peters who retired on said date.

¹³Appointed Chief Justice effective September 15, 1999 in succession to Robert J. Callahan, who retired as Chief Justice on said date.

¹⁴Appointed Chief Justice effective January 22, 2001 in succession to Frances M. McDonald, Jr., who retired as Chief Justice on said date. William J. Sullivan retired as Chief Justice and became a Senior Justice on April 15, 2006. Because no successor Chief Justice had been appointed as of that date, Justice David M. Borden, the Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, exercised the powers and authority of the office of Chief Justice, pursuant to Section 51-3 of the Connecticut General Statutes.

¹⁵Appointed Chief Justice effective April 25, 2007.

¹⁶Appointed Chief Justice effective May 3, 2018.