9 Out-of-State Colleagues Will Help Overwhelmed Federal Court in Conn. Get on Top of Caseload
On paper, the federal district court in Connecticut has lost only one judge, who was elevated to the New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
But three more have been sidelined by death, illness and, in the case of one senior judge, the need for a reduced schedule. That left Chief U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson feeling more like he had four vacancies than one, the Connecticut Post reports.
However, a request for help to the federal court system’s Judicial Conference Committee on Intercircuit Assignments met with a generous response. Nine federal judges from five states as far away as Montana are coming to Connecticut in upcoming months to try a civil case or two, according to the newspaper and the Associated Press.
“I’m really appreciative of their willingness to come here and help us out,” Thompson told the Post. “What they are doing is a real contribution to their fellow judges, to the bar and, above all, to the public.”
