Title 51 — Title 51: Courts

Sec. 51-50e. Senior judge may complete matters after expiration of his assignment. A senior judge who has sat by designation and assignment in any court may, notwithstanding the expiration of his designation and assignment, decide or join in the decision and final disposition of …

Sec. 51-50f. Powers of certain state referees. A retired Chief Justice or judge of the Supreme Court, judge of the Appellate Court, judge of the Superior Court or judge of the Court of Common Pleas, acting as a state referee after attaining the age of seventy years, shall have th…

Sec. 51-50g. Chief Court Administrator may make new assignments. Section 51-50g is repealed. (1967, P.A. 621, S. 12; P.A. 76-436, S. 10a, 66, 681; P.A. 82-248, S. 163.)

Sec. 51-50h. Power of retired judges to decide small claims. (a) A retired judge of the Court of Common Pleas or Superior Court acting as a state referee, may, at locations designated by the Chief Court Administrator, hear and determine small claims matters and render judgment th…

Sec. 51-50i. Senior judges, reappointment, successors. (a) Any judge who retires from full-time active service, who has not attained the age of seventy and who is an elector and a resident of this state, shall be a senior judge of the court of which he is a member during the rema…

Sec. 51-50j. Retired Supreme Court, Appellate Court and Superior Court judges eligible for certain duties. Each retired Chief Justice, associate judge of the Supreme Court, judge of the Appellate Court and judge of the Superior Court shall be eligible for the performance of judic…

Sec. 51-50k. Private practice of law prohibited. Each retired justice or judge who is designated and assigned by the Chief Justice or the Chief Court Administrator to perform judicial duties shall be an elector and a resident of this state, shall be a member of the bar of the sta…

Sec. 51-50l. Retired senior judges eligible for appointment as state referees. (a) Each senior judge who ceases to hold office as a senior judge because of having reached the age of seventy years and who is an elector and a resident of this state shall be a state referee for the …

Sec. 51-51. Pensions for surviving spouses and children of judges, family support magistrates and administrative law judges. (a) The surviving spouse of a deceased judge or of an administrative law judge who commenced service as a judge or an administrative law judge prior to Jan…

Secs. 51-51a to 51-51f. Judicial Review Council. Sections 51-51a to 51-51f, inclusive, are repealed. (1969, P.A. 771, S. 1–5; 1971, P.A. 188; P.A. 74-183, S. 37, 291; 74-338, S. 2, 94; P.A. 75-328, S. 1–4, 75-479, S. 4, 25; P.A. 76-436, S. 69, 681; P.A. 77-494, S. 17, 18.)

Sec. 51-51g. Declaration of intent. The General Assembly finds that for the impartial and effective administration of justice in this state (1) the continued independence of the judiciary is indispensable, (2) it is in the public interest to foster the dignity and integrity of th…

Sec. 51-51h. Application of chapter. This chapter shall apply to judges of the Superior Court, judges of the Appellate Court, judges of the Supreme Court, administrative law judges and family support magistrates, and the term “judges” as used in this chapter refers to such judges…

Sec. 51-51i. Grounds for removal, suspension and censure. (a) In addition to removal by impeachment and removal by the Governor on the address of two-thirds of each house of the General Assembly as provided in the Connecticut Constitution, a judge shall be subject, in the manner …

Sec. 51-51j. Removal or suspension by Supreme Court. (a) The Supreme Court may remove or suspend any judge or family support magistrate for any period upon recommendation of the Judicial Review Council, established under section 51-51k, or on its own motion. Upon receipt of such …

Sec. 51-51k. Judicial Review Council. (a) Composition of council. There is established a Judicial Review Council, within the Office of Governmental Accountability established under section 1-300, to be composed of the following members: (1) Three judges of the Superior Court, who…

Sec. 51-51l. Investigation of conduct of judge, administrative law judge or family support magistrate. (a) Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, the Judicial Review Council shall investigate every written complaint brought before it alleging conduct under section …

Sec. 51-51m. Vote of council. Findings to be indexed. (a) The Judicial Review Council may take any action upon a majority vote of its members present and voting, except that twelve members of the Judicial Review Council shall constitute a quorum for any action to publicly censure…

Sec. 51-51n. Authority of council. (a) The Judicial Review Council may, after a hearing pursuant to subsection (c) of section 51-51l, (1) publicly censure the judge, administrative law judge or family support magistrate, (2) suspend the judge, administrative law judge or family s…

Sec. 51-51o. Witnesses to testify. (a) Any person may be compelled, by subpoena signed by competent authority, to appear before the Supreme Court or Judicial Review Council to testify in relation to any complaint brought to or by the court or council against a judge, an administr…

Sec. 51-51p. Suspension of salary during suspension. During the period of suspension from office for conduct described in section 51-51i, all judicial salary provided for in section 51-47 or salary provided for in section 31-277 or 46b-231, as the case may be, including any benef…

Sec. 51-51q. Recommendation of council re appointment or reappointment of judge and reappointment of family support magistrate and administrative law judge. Information required to be made available to General Assembly judiciary committee. (a)(1) The Judicial Review Council shall…

Sec. 51-51r. Appeal. Any judge, administrative law judge or family support magistrate aggrieved by any decision of the Judicial Review Council may appeal the decision to the Supreme Court in accordance with such procedure for the appeal as the Supreme Court shall adopt by rule. (…

Sec. 51-51s. Disqualification of judge, administrative law judge or family support magistrate. A judge, an administrative law judge or a family support magistrate is disqualified from acting as a judge, an administrative law judge or a family support magistrate, as the case may b…

Sec. 51-51t. Compensation of members. (a) Members of the Judicial Review Council shall not receive compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties as members. (b) The council may apply for and re…

Sec. 51-51u. Jurisdiction over complaints filed with council previously established. The council established under section 51-51k shall have the power to hear and decide complaints filed with, but not finally determined by, the Judicial Review Council established under sections 5…

Sec. 51-51v. (Formerly Sec. 51-168). Appointment of chief clerks and assistants. Clerk for Centralized Infractions Bureau. Clerks for housing matters. (a) The Chief Court Administrator shall appoint: (1) Chief clerks for the judicial districts; (2) deputy chief clerks for those j…

Sec. 51-51w. (Formerly Sec. 51-12a). Collection of fees by clerks. Expenses. All fees payable by statute to clerks of the Superior Court shall belong to the state and shall be collected by them for its use. The Superior Court, or any judge thereof, may tax in favor of the clerks …

Secs. 51-51x and 51-51y. Continuation of service of persons serving in Superior Court, Court of Common Pleas and Juvenile Court on June 30, 1978. Term of office of persons appointed July 1, 1977. Sections 51-51x and 51-51y are repealed. (P.A. 76-436, S. 10a, 36a, 37, 681; P.A. 78…

Sec. 51-52. General duties of clerks. (a) Clerks shall: (1) Receive the files, processes and documents returnable to their court locations, (2) make records of all proceedings required to be recorded, (3) have the custody of the active files and records of the court, (4) have the…

Sec. 51-52a. Powers of clerks and clerical assistants. (a) The clerk of any court may, when directed by the court, amend, make up and complete any imperfect or unfinished record in such manner as the court may direct. (b) The clerk for each judicial district may certify to copies…

Sec. 51-52b. (Formerly Sec. 51-171a). Certification re authority of justice of the peace or commissioner of the Superior Court in the judicial district of Bridgeport or Stamford-Norwalk. The chief clerk of the superior court at Bridgeport shall, on the request of any justice of t…

Sec. 51-53. Clerks to give notice of decrees of court by mail or electronic delivery. (a) Whenever any court, including a court of probate, or the judge of any such court acting in any matter coming before him as a judge, makes or renders any decision, order, decree, denial or ru…

Sec. 51-54. Completing records. Section 51-54 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 7720; P.A. 82-248, S. 163.)

Sec. 51-55. Judgments of default or nonsuit. A clerk of the Superior Court shall not enter any judgment of default or nonsuit, unless directed by the court, except where the parties fail to appear; provided, in any civil action in which a notice of an intention to suffer a defaul…

Sec. 51-56. Accounting for receipts by clerks of Supreme, Superior and Common Pleas Court. Removal from office. Accounting on death or removal. Section 51-56 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 7715, 7716, 7717; 1959, P.A. 28, S. 92; 1961, P.A. 186, S. 2; P.A. 74-183, S. 40, 291.)

Sec. 51-56a. Accounting for receipts by court clerks. Remittance of certain amounts to municipalities. Additional fees to fund police training. Surcharge for violations. (a) Each clerk of the Supreme Court and Superior Court shall account for and pay or deposit all fees, fines, f…

Sec. 51-57. Superior Court clerks. Oath. Full-time duties. Criminal defense prohibited. (a) Each clerk of the Superior Court shall, before entering on the duties of his office, be sworn to the faithful performance of his duties. (b) Each clerk and assistant clerk, except temporar…

Sec. 51-58. Court seals. Filing of official seals with Secretary of the State. Each court location having a clerk shall have its proper seal, which shall be kept by the clerk or by the records management officer or other designee of the Chief Court Administrator permitted to cert…

Sec. 51-59. Clerks' offices, when open. Section 51-59 is repealed, effective July 1, 2024. (1949 Rev., S. 7699; 1959, P.A. 28, S. 93; P.A. 74-183, S. 42, 291; P.A. 76-436, S. 72, 681; P.A. 78-280, S. 77, 127; P.A. 82-248, S. 57; P.A. 24-108, S. 44.)

Sec. 51-60. Appointment of official court reporters. Definitions. Adoption of policies and procedures. (a) As used in this chapter: (1) “State's attorney” means a state's attorney, assistant state's attorney, deputy assistant state's attorney and special deputy assistant state's …

Sec. 51-61. Court reporter and court recording monitor to be sworn. Duties. Requests and payment for transcripts. (a) Each official court reporter, before entering upon the duties of the office, shall be sworn to faithfully perform such duties and shall then be an officer of the …

Sec. 51-62. Official court reporters and court recording monitors before judges, judge trial referees and family support magistrates. (a) Whenever a judge of the Superior Court, a judge trial referee or a family support magistrate sitting in chambers deems it necessary, the judge…

Sec. 51-63. Official court reporter and court recording monitor charges for transcripts. Official and assistant stenographers of the Workers' Compensation Commission charges for transcripts. (a)(1) In addition to a salary, an official court reporter and a court recording monitor …

Sec. 51-64. Traveling expenses. Section 51-64 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 3608; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 36; 1959, P.A. 615, S. 12; P.A. 82-248, S. 163.)

Sec. 51-65. Vacancy in office of court reporter. Section 51-65 is repealed, effective July 1, 2019. (1949 Rev., S. 7730; P.A. 82-248, S. 62; P.A. 85-613, S. 76, 154; P.A. 19-64, S. 25.)

Secs. 51-66 to 51-71a. Court reporters and stenographers, generally. Sections 51-66 to 51-71a, inclusive, are repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 3608, 7591, 7613, 7614, 7731, 7732; 1949, S. 3109d; 1957, P.A. 199, S. 1; 446, S. 2; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 36; March, 1958, P.A. 27, S. 57…

Sec. 51-72. Probate Court; stenographer may be called in by agreement. Whenever, in any court of probate, the parties or their attorneys so agree in writing, the judge of the court may call in a competent and disinterested person who is capable to act as a stenographer to act as …

Sec. 51-73. Powers and duties of stenographer. Notes to be evidence. Appeals on record. Each stenographer called in and acting under the provisions of section 51-72 shall be sworn and shall have the powers and be subject to the duties prescribed by law for the official court repo…

Sec. 51-74. Use of digital recording equipment by official court reporter or court recording monitor. The record of proceedings in any court required to be made by an official court reporter or court recording monitor shall be made by digital recording equipment approved by the C…

Sec. 51-75. Messengers of the Supreme and Superior Courts. Section 51-75 is repealed, effective October 1, 2012. (1949 Rev., S. 7711; 1957, P.A. 651, S. 29; March, 1958, P.A. 27, S. 60; 1972, P.A. 165, S. 10; June, 1972, P.A. 1, S. 20; P.A. 76-436, S. 10a, 76, 681; P.A. 77-576, S…