Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has nominated Appellate Court judge Carmen Espinosa to be a Connecticut Supreme Court jurist. She will be the first person of Hispanic heritage to serve on the court if her nomination is approved by the General Assembly.
“I would like to especially thank Governor Malloy for his continued commitment to diversity in our judiciary. Not only does he honor me with this nomination, but he has honored the Hispanic community as well,” Espinosa said. “I fully understand the responsibility that will fall upon my shoulders if confirmed as the first Hispanic to sit as a Supreme Court Justice in our great state. It is a responsibility [that] I will gladly accept and one that I would fulfill with diligence and dedication. I hope that my nomination to the Supreme Court serves as an example to young Hispanic children that anything is possible if they stay in school and use education as the bridge to success.”
Espinosa was sworn in as an Appellate Court judge in 2011, and prior to that served on the Superior Court since 1992. She was the first Hispanic to serve on both courts. She has a lengthy career in the legal field.
In her work in the judiciary, Judge Espinosa served on the Sentence Review Division, the Client Security Fund Committee, and was a member of the Judicial Branch Education Committee of the Connecticut Judges’ Institute. Prior to becoming a judge, she was an FBI agent and an Assistant U.S. Attorney.
According to CTMirror.org, the state’s 171-member judiciary was 81 percent white and 65 percent male as of Jan. 3, with 21 black, five Hispanic and five Asian jurists, according to the state courts. White males comprised 52 percent, white females 29 percent, black males 9 percent and Hispanic males 2 percent. There were 7 black women, one Latina and one Asian woman on the bench. Nationally, about 70 percent of all lawyers are men, as are trial judges.
“It is an honor to have the opportunity to name a woman with such a distinct and respected background to our state’s highest court,” Governor Malloy said in his announcement. “Judge Carmen Espinosa has had an impressive career and is among our state’s most respected jurists. She will serve the people well when confirmed to the bench.”
She graduated from Central Connecticut State University in 1971, received her master’s degree in Hispanic studies from Brown University in 1973, and received her law degree from The George Washington University Law School in 1976.
