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As one of the original 13 colonies, Connecticut’s courts have a lengthy and colorful history.

About CT Supreme Court:

In the years prior to the creation of the Connecticut Supreme Court, the authority to review lower court rulings was vested in the state General Assembly, which determined appeals by examining court records, much the way that most supreme courts perform today. But in 1784, the foundation of the Connecticut Supreme Court was laid, although it was far from independent from the executive and legislative branches – the lieutenant governor, members of the Council (the upper chamber of the General Assembly and, in 1794, the governor himself, by law were part of the court.

In 1806, the number of Superior Court judges in Connecticut was increased from five to nine, and those judges, sitting “en banc,” i.e., together, constituted the Supreme Court. The governor, lieutenant governor and council members had been replaced; however, the General Assembly retained the power to overturn Supreme Court rulings. That authority was not stripped away from the legislature until 1818, when the Connecticut Constitution established a truly independent judiciary, capped by the curiously named Supreme Court of Errors, the “Errors” suggesting that the court was intended to correct mistakes made by lower courts. (The word “Errors” was not dropped from the court’s name until 1965.)

In 1982, responding to a growing Supreme Court docket, Connecticut voters approved a constitutional amendment creating the intermediate Appellate Court, which consists of nine judges and is seated at 95 Washington St. in the capital city of Hartford.

Between September and June of each year, the eight justices of the Supreme Court, guided by Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers, hear oral arguments on pending cases, during a series of eight, two-year terms. The court does not hear testimony from witnesses, but will review written briefs from the attorneys prior to hearing oral arguments. The court is not responsible for deciding matters of fact, but rather matters of law and whether the law was applied correctly.

Decisions, known as “opinions,” are rendered within a few months, and an archive of these opinions is maintained online. The court’s docket also is available through its Web site.

Connecticut's Appellate Court

The state’s voters on Nov. 2, 1982, approved a constitutional amendment establishing the Connecticut Appellate Court. The legislation, and creation of the court, was made necessary by the increasingly unmanageable caseload handled by the state Supreme Court. By the time the Appellate Court, with five original judges, heard its first cases on Oct. 4, 1983, most civil cases on the Supreme Court’s docket had been waiting two years without

The Appellate Court has evolved from five judges in 1983, to 10 judges by 2003. In addition to the regular sitting judges of the court, legislation passed in 1995 gives the court a growing list of retired and senior judges of the Appellate Court and justices from the Supreme Court who may sit on the court if assigned to do so by the chief judge of the Appellate Court, presently Joseph P. Flynn.

The court’s terms, docket, advance-release opinions and archive of opinions all are available through the Connecticut courts’ Web site.

About Connecticut's Superior Court

Connecticut’s Superior Court is broken into four divisions.

In the Civil Division, the court hears cases regarding civil, personal or property rights, such as automobile accidents, landlord-tenant disputes, disputed contracts or professional liability issues. Civil Division cases are subdivided into five types: administrative appeals, civil jury trials, civil non-jury trials, landlord-tenant disputes and small claims.

The Criminal Division handles cases where the state is prosecuting a defendant accused of breaking the law. Felony crimes are punishable by prison sentences of more than one year, misdemeanors are punishable by incarceration of a year or less, “violations” are missteps including traffic offenses that are punishable only by a fine, and “infractions” are offenses (such as traffic tickets) for which the fine may be paid without even appearing in court.

Family Division courts hear cases involving juveniles and family relationships. This includes divorce proceedings, child custody and support, relief from abuse (temporary restraining orders), juvenile delinquency, child abuse and neglect and termination of parental rights. Most of these cases are heard in judicial district courthouses, but cases involving juveniles are heard in particular juvenile court venues as part of the fourth Superior Court division, the “Juvenile Matters” branch. There are 13 Juvenile Courts statewide -- hearing cases ranging from delinquency and neglect to termination of parental rights and emancipation of a minor -- and all court documents and hearings in these courts are closed to the public.

Superior Court in Connecticut also holds a number of special sessions to deal with particular matters. These include sessions on child protection, community court, complex litigation, family violence, housing issues, small claims and taxes.

Superior Courts are located in: Ansonia; Danbury; Fairfield (Bridgeport); Hartford; Litchfield; Meriden; Middlesex; New Britain; New Haven; New London; Norwich; Putnam; Stamford; Tolland; and Waterbury.

Connecticut’s case lookup feature allows Web site users to find for themselves information, such as court dates and judicial assignments, about civil and family matters, criminal offenses and motor vehicle violations, housing complaints, and small claims cases.

CT Probate Court

Connecticut’s Probate Court has a 300-year history of handling neighborhood and family issues in a more informal and accessible fashion. Probate Court hears cases not only on the oversight of decedents’ estates, wills and trusts, but its jurisdiction also on a wide array of issues affecting children, the elderly, and the mentally ill or incapacitated.

There are 117 Probate Districts in the state, in a system directed by Judge James J. Lawlor, Probate Court administrator.

Connecticut Judicial Branch

United States District Court - District of Connecticut

United States Bankruptcy Court - District of Connecticut

Connecticut Probate Court - Probate court history, directory and jurisdiction.

Connecticut Court Opinions - Supreme Court and Appellate Court Opinions

Connecticut Judicial Branch - Law Libraries

Connecticut Case Look-up - Case search for civil/family cases, criminal/motor vehicle cases, housing cases and small claims cases.

Connecticut Bar Association - Find a Lawyer, Public Resources and Casemaker

Connecticut Superior Court - Calendar Notices, Special Sessions, Court Location Codes and Standing Orders.

Connecticut Courts - e-Services including civil filing, docket management, short calendar markings and attorney registration.

Connecticut Court Opinions - Officially released opinions from the courts.