Justice Keller to Take Senior Status, Allowing Governor to Replace Her With Another Democrat.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Christine Keller announced Thursday that she will take senior status beginning Friday. The move, made only two years after Governor Ned Lamont appointed Keller to the high court, allows the Greenwich Democrat to fill the vacancy with a Democrat.

Had Keller waited until after the regular session of the legislature adjourns on May 4th, Lamont would have had authority to make only a temporary appointment. That would have raised the possibility of Republican Bob Stefanowski making an appointment for a full eight-year term if he scored an upset and defeats Lamont in November.

Keller, who was nominated to the Superior Court in 1993 by Governor Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., when her husband, lobbyist Thomas Ritter was Speaker of the House. The Hartford resident was nominated to the Appellate Court by Governor Dannel P. Malloy in 2013. Lamont elevated Keller to the top court in 2020 when her son, Matthew Ritter, was serving as the House Majority Leader.

The announcement in the land of steady connections comes one day before the Judicial Selection Commission meets to interview three applicants for elevation to the Supreme Court. Judges approved for promotion by the commission are placed on a list from which the governor may pick nominees. The interviews are scheduled for 30 minutes each. The commission will them adjourn for lunch and awards.

Published March 31, 2022.