Connecticut Sees Increase in Number of Female Judges

Thirty-three percent of supreme, appellate, and superior court judges are women—an increase of eight percent since 2002. This figure comes close to matching the percentage of Connecticut Bar Association members who are women—34 percent. One possible explanation for the increase is that nominating commission members are placing less emphasis on judges having had litigation experience. The greatest gains have been seen at the supreme court level, where three of seven justices were women in 2010, but advocates believe more gender equality is needed in the lower courts.