Robert Chatigny

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Robert Chatigny
Current Court Information:
United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
Title:   Judge
Position:   Seat #5
Service:
Appointed by:   Bill Clinton
Active:   9/28/1994 - Current
Chief:   2003 - 2009
Preceded by:   Warren Eginton
Personal History
Born:   1952
Home State:   Taunton, MA
Bachelors:   Brown University, B.A., 1973
Law School:   Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1978

Contents

Robert Neil Chatigny is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. He joined the court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton.

Early life and education

Born in Taunton, Massachusetts, Chatigny graduated from Brown with his Bachelor's degree in 1973 and graduated from Georgetown Law with his Juris Doctor degree in 1978. [1]

Professional career

Judicial career

On the recommendation of U.S. Senators Christopher Dodd and Joe Libermann, Chatigny was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut by President Bill Clinton on August 5, 1994 to a seat vacated by Warren Eginton. Chatigny was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 28, 1994 on a majority vote and received his commission on September 28, 1994. [3] Chatigny served as the Chief Judge of the court from 2003 to 2009. [1]

Federal circuit court nomination

Chatigny has been nominated by President Obama for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. [4][5] His nomination is supported by associates and lawyers who have appeared before him. U.S. attorney Kevin O'Connor said, "My experiences with him as U.S. attorney were universally positive" and Stanley Twardy, a former U.S. attorney said, "I think he will be an outstanding appellate judge". [2]

Chatigny received a rating of "Unanimously Well Qualified" from the American Bar Association. [6]

Judiciary Committee hearing

Chatigny's Public Questionnaire Available Here
Questionnaire Update
Questions for the Record Available Here

The Senate Judiciary Committee has postponed a hearing for Chatigny due to receipt of a letter critical of his conduct during the 2005 trial of convicted serial killer and rapist Michael Ross, known also as The Roadside Strangler. During that trail Chatigny is alleged to have pressured Ross' attorney to appeal his sentence of execution even though Ross had said he did not want to fight it. Chatigny also threatened to go after Ross' attorney's law license. Seven prosecutors from Connecticut filed a complaint against Chatigny with a federal judicial review panel. The panel found that his behavior was unusual but not improper. On March 5, 2010 one of those seven prosecutors wrote to Patrick Leahy and Jeff Sessions of the Senate Judiciary Committee saying, "Judge Chatigny completely abandoned the role of neutral and detached magistrate and instead became an advocate for the position held by the parties who were seeking to stop the execution of Michael Ross". Upon receipt of the letter, Leahy canceled Chatigny's scheduled hearing. [7][8][9] The hearing was rescheduled for April 27, 2010. [10]

Nomination returned to President

After the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of Chatigny's confirmation on June 10, 2010, his nomination rested in the hands of the full Senate. On August 5, 2010, the Senate returned the nomination of Chatigny to President Obama, refusing to debate and offer a vote before the body adjourned for its month-long recess. [11]

Nomination resubmitted

On September 13, 2010, President Obama again submitted Chatigny's nomination to the U.S. Senate. [12]

Nomination returned to President

Chatigny's nomination was returned to the President at the end of the 111th congress.

Notable cases

Awards and Associations

  • Served on the Judicial Council for the Second Circuit
  • Served on the Federal-State Judicial Council of Connecticut
  • Past member of the Oliver Ellsworth Inn of Court
  • Past member of the Connecticut Bar Association
  • Recipient of the Children’s Justice Award from the Center for Children’s Advocacy at the University of Connecticut School of Law [4]

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Judge Chatigny Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hartford Courant "Judge Chatigny Nominated To Seat On U.S. 2nd Circuit Court Of Appeals", February 25, 2010
  3. ↑ "THOMAS" Robert Chatigny USDC, CT confirmation: PN1619-103
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 White House Press Release "President Obama Nominates Goodwin Liu for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit", February 24, 2010
  5. ↑ Associated Press "Judge in Connecticut nominated for appeals court", February 24, 2010
  6. ↑ Judicial Nomination Materials
  7. ↑ FOXNews "Hearing Delayed for Obama Judicial Nominee Who Supported Serial Killer", March 10, 2010
  8. ↑ Connecticut Law Tribune "Prosecutor Questions Chatigny’s Fitness For 2nd Circuit", March 10, 2010
  9. ↑ The Hartford Courant "U.S. Senate Panel Postpones Chatigny Confirmation Hearing", March 11, 2010
  10. ↑ Hartford Courant "GOP Spokesman: Hearing Will Examine Chatigny's Judicial History", April 27, 2010
  11. ↑ Senate Judiciary Committee, Nomination Materials: 111th Congress
  12. ↑ The White House, Press Release: "Presidential Nominations Sent to Senate," September 13, 2010
Federal judicial offices
Preceded by:
Warren Eginton 		District of Connecticut
1994–Current 		Succeeded by:
NA


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