Title 51, Title 51: Courts

Sec. 51-33a. Criminal contempt. (a) Any person who violates the dignity and authority of any court, in its presence or so near thereto as to obstruct the administration of justice, or any officer of any court who misbehaves in the conduct of his official duties shall be guilty of…

Sec. 51-34. Commitment for disobedience; release. Any person committed to a community correctional center in any cause for disobeying an order of any court or family support magistrate may be discharged from imprisonment by the judge of the court or family support magistrate maki…

Sec. 51-35. Witness refusing to testify; imprisonment. Self-incrimination. (a) Any court or family support magistrate may commit to a community correctional center any person legally summoned who refuses to appear and testify before it in any case, there to remain at his own expe…

Sec. 51-36. Retention, reproduction, destruction, disposal and transferring of court records. Microfilm and computerized images. (a) The Chief Court Administrator may cause any and all court records, papers or documents, and any and all other records, papers or documents maintain…

Sec. 51-36a. Access to records maintained by Judicial Department. Policies and procedures. (a) For the purposes of this section, “employees of the Judicial Department” shall not include employees of the courts of probate or the Public Defender Services Commission, and “records” s…

Secs. 51-37 and 51-38. Records and files in New London County. Application of general statutes to municipal and justice courts. Sections 51-37 and 51-38 are repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 7723, 7737; 1959, P.A. 28, S. 204; P.A. 74-183, S. 25, 291.)

Sec. 51-39. Disqualification by relationship or interest. Judge or family support magistrate may act with consent of parties. (a) Except as provided in this section, a judge or family support magistrate is disqualified to act if a relationship between the judge or family support …

Sec. 51-39a. Use of judicial office for financial gain prohibited. No judge of the Supreme Court, Appellate Court or Superior Court or any family support magistrate shall use his judicial office or any confidential information received through his holding judicial office to obtai…

Sec. 51-40. Practice of law by judges restricted. Section 51-40 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 7695; 1967, P.A. 656, S. 25.)

Secs. 51-42 to 51-44. Transferred to Chapter 882, Secs. 51-183d to 51-183f, inclusive.

Sec. 51-44a. Judicial Selection Commission. Members. Duties. Nomination of judges by Governor. (a) There is established a Judicial Selection Commission, within the Office of Governmental Accountability established under section 1-300. Said commission shall be comprised of twelve …

Sec. 51-45. Resignation of judges or family support magistrates. Any judge or family support magistrate may resign his office by leaving with the Governor a written communication signifying his intention to resign such office and stating a time when such resignation is to take ef…

Sec. 51-45a. Admonishment of judge or family support magistrate by Chief Court Administrator. Whenever the Chief Court Administrator has reason to believe that a judge or family support magistrate has acted in a manner which gives the appearance of impropriety or constitutes an u…

Sec. 51-45b. Medical examination of judge or family support magistrate ordered by Chief Court Administrator, when. Matter referred to Judicial Review Council, when. Whenever the Chief Court Administrator has reason to believe that a judge or family support magistrate cannot fully…

Sec. 51-45c. Investigation by Judicial Review Council re mental infirmity or illness, drug dependency or alcohol addiction of judge or family support magistrate. Findings. Authority. (a) The Judicial Review Council shall investigate every matter referred to it under section 51-45…

Sec. 51-46a. Statement of financial interests to be reported. (a) Each judge of the Superior Court, each judge of the Appellate Court, each judge of the Supreme Court and each family support magistrate shall file under penalty of false statement, a statement of financial interest…

Sec. 51-47. Salaries of judges. Practice of law prohibited. Membership on board of directors of bank prohibited. Longevity payments. (a) The judges of the Superior Court, judges of the Appellate Court and judges of the Supreme Court shall receive annually salaries as follows: (1)…

Sec. 51-47a. Appropriations. Section 51-47a is repealed. (1969, P.A. 601, S. 2; P.A. 85-613, S. 153, 154.)

Sec. 51-47b. Compensation of senior judges and referees. (a) Each senior judge who has been designated and assigned by the Chief Justice or the Chief Court Administrator to perform judicial duties as a senior judge pursuant to the provisions of this section, sections 51-50, 51-50…

Sec. 51-47c. Commission on Judicial Compensation. Members. Duties. (a) There is established a Commission on Judicial Compensation for the purpose of examining and making recommendations with respect to judicial compensation. The commission shall consist of the following members: …

Sec. 51-48. Payment of expenses of judges. Each judge of the Supreme Court, judge of the Appellate Court and judge of the Superior Court shall be allowed his necessary expenses while engaged in official duty, to be taxed and paid as are other court expenses. (1949 Rev., S. 3597, …

Sec. 51-49. Disability retirement of judges, state's attorneys, public defenders, family support magistrates and administrative law judges. (a) When the Chief Justice or any judge of the Supreme Court, or the Appellate Court, or the Superior Court, or the Chief State's Attorney, …

Sec. 51-49a. Vested and nonforfeitable right to retirement salary after ten years of service. (a) The right to a retirement salary, in accordance with the provisions of this section, of any judge, family support magistrate or administrative law judge who is not eligible to retire…

Sec. 51-49b. Cost of living allowance for retired judges, family support magistrates and administrative law judges. (a) On January 1, 1982, and January first of each subsequent year, each judge, family support magistrate or administrative law judge who first commenced service as …

Sec. 51-49c. Cost of living allowance for surviving spouses of judges, family support magistrates and administrative law judges. (a) On January 1, 1982, and January first of each subsequent year until January 1, 2011, each surviving spouse of a deceased judge, a family support ma…

Sec. 51-49d. Funding of retirement system for judges, family support magistrates and administrative law judges on actuarial reserve basis. State contributions. (a) For the purposes of this section and sections 51-49e and 51-50b: (1) “Retirement system” or “system” means the retir…

Sec. 51-49e. Judge's Retirement Fund. The Judge's Retirement Fund is hereby established in the State Treasury. All moneys received by the system pursuant to section 51-49d and section 51-50b shall be deposited in the fund, and all retirement benefits and other obligations and pay…

Sec. 51-49f. Determination of retirement salary of judges and allowance to surviving spouses. Limitation on retirement salary. (a) For purposes of determining both the retirement salary of judges who first commenced service as judges prior to January 1, 1981, and the allowance pa…

Sec. 51-49g. Determination of retirement salary of administrative law judges and allowance to surviving spouses. (a) For purposes of determining both the retirement salary of administrative law judges who first commenced service as administrative law judges in a term commencing p…

Sec. 51-49h. Credit for military service. (a) Any judge of the Superior Court, the Appellate Court or the Supreme Court who first commenced service as a judge prior to January 1, 1981, may elect to receive the retirement salary provided under subsection (b) of section 51-50. The …

Sec. 51-49i. Right to retirement salary of judge, family support magistrate or administrative law judge retiring on or after July 1, 2022. (a) For any judge, family support magistrate or administrative law judge retiring on or after July 1, 2022, the right to a retirement salary …

Sec. 51-49j. Ability of judge, family support magistrate or administrative law judge to make one-time irrevocable election re eligibility for certain retirement benefits. On or before July 1, 2013, a judge, a family support magistrate or an administrative law judge who is in serv…

Sec. 51-50. Retirement at age seventy or for disability. (a) Each judge or administrative law judge who first commenced service as a judge or an administrative law judge prior to January 1, 1981, and who attains the age of seventy while serving in his or her respective office or …

Sec. 51-50a. Right to retirement salary of judge, family support magistrate or administrative law judge retiring prior to July 1, 2022. (a)(1) The right of any judge, family support magistrate or administrative law judge retiring prior to July 1, 2022, to a retirement salary in a…

Sec. 51-50b. Retirement contribution. (a) There shall be deducted and withheld from the salary payable to each judge under subsections (a) and (d) of section 51-47, family support magistrate under subsection (h) of section 46b-231, and administrative law judge under section 31-27…

Sec. 51-50c. Assignment of senior judges to judicial duties. Participation in alternative dispute resolution program approved by STA-FED ADR, Inc. (a (1) Any senior judge of the Supreme Court may be designated and assigned by the Chief Justice or the Chief Court Administrator to …

Sec. 51-50d. Duties and powers of senior judges. (a) A senior judge shall have all the powers of a judge of the court to which he is designated and assigned. (b) A senior judge shall discharge, during the period of his designation and assignment, all judicial duties for which he …

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…