Andrew J. McDonald
Encyclopedia
Andrew J. McDonald is an American lawyer and politician
from Connecticut
. A Democrat
, he served as a member of the Connecticut State Senate
from 2003 to 2011, representing the state's 27th district in Stamford
and Darien
. McDonald resigned from the legislature on January 4, 2011 to serve as Governor Dan Malloy
's chief legal counsel.
A Stamford native, McDonald won narrow election to the senate in 2002, defeating his Republican
opponent, Michael Fedele
(who later served as Lieutenant Governor), by 53% to 47%. He was re-elected in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. He served as Deputy Majority Leader and as Senate Chair of the Judiciary Committee.
Prior to his election, McDonald worked as Director of Legal Affairs for the City of Stamford
from 1999 to 2002. He also served on the Stamford Board of Finance from 1995 to 1999, as the board's chairman from 1997 to 1999, and as Co-Chair of the Audit Committee from 1995 to 1997. He served on the Stamford Board of Representatives from the Cove from 1993 to 1995.
McDonald was educated at the Stamford Public Schools (Stark, Dolan and Stamford High School) before receiving his Bachelor's degree
in Government from Cornell University
, and a Juris Doctor
from the University of Connecticut School of Law
, where he graduated with honors. He served as Managing Editor of the Connecticut Journal of International Law and is currently a litigation partner with Pullman & Comley, LLC, in Stamford.
In 2006 and 2007 McDonald challenged the decision of Connecticut Chief Justice William J. Sullivan to delay publication of a court decision in an effort to promote the chief justice candidacy of his colleague, Justice Peter Zarella. Sullivan challenged the power of a legislator to subpoena him to appear at a hearing, which led to a court challenge.
In 2007 McDonald opposed a special session of the General Assembly to address parole
issues following the horrific home invasion
murders in Cheshire, stating "Legislating by bumper sticker motto is not the way to go." Other Democrats were more willing to respond as Congressman Chris Murphy
proposed making home invasion
a federal crime. McDonald relented under public pressure and a special session was held January 22, 2008 to pass laws declaring home invasion
a class A felony and reforming the parole board. McDonald opposed a Three Strikes Law
favored by Governor Jodi Rell
to mandate life terms to career violent criminals; that measure failed to pass.
Rell reiterated her call for a Three Strikes bill on March 31, 2008 following the kidnapping and murder of an elderly New Britain woman committed by a sex offender recently released from Connecticut prison. Following the New Britain crime McDonald lambasting the prosecutor who had handled the assailant's previous case, Waterbury State's Attorney John Connelly, who agreed to a plea bargain which sentenced the defendant to an eight-year prison term. Prominent defense lawyer Norm Pattis called McDonald a "knucklehead" for attacking Connelly as soft on crime, noting Connelly was responsible for most of the death penalty convictions in Connecticut.
McDonald is gay
. His campaigns have won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
. McDonald married Charles Gray in 2009.
In March 2009 McDonald and Judiciary committee co-chair Mike Lawlor proposed a bill (SB 1098
) to regulate the management of Roman Catholic parishes in Connecticut. The bill, by allowing parishioners to create a lay board to govern a parish, in which board all control over fiscal and administrative matters would be vested, effectively removes the Parish Priest and Bishop from their traditional positions of power. The bill is specific to the Catholic Church and, as such, is viewed some as anti-Catholic and retaliation for Catholic opposition to same-sex marriage legislation. The public hearing on this bill was cancelled when, according to Capital Police, 1,000 supporters entered the Capital to protest. Another 4,200 were present outside the building.http://americanpapist.com/2009/03/connecticuts-anti-catholic-bill-update.html Opponents charged the bill would violate the separation of church and state
clause in the First Amendment
It would also violate the "Supremacy clause," and the Fourteenth Amendment barring discriminatory legislation.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
from Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, he served as a member of the Connecticut State Senate
Connecticut Senate
The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 94,600 inhabitants. Senators are elected to two-year terms without term limits...
from 2003 to 2011, representing the state's 27th district in Stamford
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
and Darien
Darien, Connecticut
Darien is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. A relatively small community on Connecticut's "Gold Coast", the population was 20,732 at the 2010 census. Darien was listed at #9 at CNN Money's list of "top-earning towns" in the United States as of 2011...
. McDonald resigned from the legislature on January 4, 2011 to serve as Governor Dan Malloy
Dan Malloy
Dannel Patrick "Dan" Malloy is the 88th and current Governor of Connecticut. He was the Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut from December 1995 until December 2009. Malloy had been endorsed by the Connecticut Democratic Party on May 22, 2010 over 2006 Democratic U.S...
's chief legal counsel.
A Stamford native, McDonald won narrow election to the senate in 2002, defeating his Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
opponent, Michael Fedele
Michael Fedele
Michael Fedele is an Italian-American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 107thThe State of Connecticut recognizes Michael Fedele as the 107th Lieutenant Governor, using a standard that had counted Colonial period lieutenants as well as counting lieutenants who had...
(who later served as Lieutenant Governor), by 53% to 47%. He was re-elected in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. He served as Deputy Majority Leader and as Senate Chair of the Judiciary Committee.
Prior to his election, McDonald worked as Director of Legal Affairs for the City of Stamford
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
from 1999 to 2002. He also served on the Stamford Board of Finance from 1995 to 1999, as the board's chairman from 1997 to 1999, and as Co-Chair of the Audit Committee from 1995 to 1997. He served on the Stamford Board of Representatives from the Cove from 1993 to 1995.
McDonald was educated at the Stamford Public Schools (Stark, Dolan and Stamford High School) before receiving his Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Government from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, and a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Connecticut School of Law
University of Connecticut School of Law
The University of Connecticut School of Law is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. The school was recently ranked forty-sixth out of the 190 American Bar Association-accredited law schools in the United States and is considered a Tier 1 school by U.S...
, where he graduated with honors. He served as Managing Editor of the Connecticut Journal of International Law and is currently a litigation partner with Pullman & Comley, LLC, in Stamford.
In 2006 and 2007 McDonald challenged the decision of Connecticut Chief Justice William J. Sullivan to delay publication of a court decision in an effort to promote the chief justice candidacy of his colleague, Justice Peter Zarella. Sullivan challenged the power of a legislator to subpoena him to appear at a hearing, which led to a court challenge.
In 2007 McDonald opposed a special session of the General Assembly to address parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
issues following the horrific home invasion
Home invasion
Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally...
murders in Cheshire, stating "Legislating by bumper sticker motto is not the way to go." Other Democrats were more willing to respond as Congressman Chris Murphy
Chris Murphy (politician)
Christopher Scott "Chris" Murphy is the U. S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.Murphy previously served in the Connecticut House of Representatives and the Connecticut Senate....
proposed making home invasion
Home invasion
Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally...
a federal crime. McDonald relented under public pressure and a special session was held January 22, 2008 to pass laws declaring home invasion
Home invasion
Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally burgling or entering a private and occupied dwelling for the purpose of committing a crime Home invasion is the act of illegally...
a class A felony and reforming the parole board. McDonald opposed a Three Strikes Law
Three strikes law
Three strikes laws)"are statutes enacted by state governments in the United States which require the state courts to hand down a mandatory and extended period of incarceration to persons who have been convicted of a serious criminal offense on three or more separate occasions. These statutes became...
favored by Governor Jodi Rell
Jodi Rell
Mary Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and was the 87th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor,...
to mandate life terms to career violent criminals; that measure failed to pass.
Rell reiterated her call for a Three Strikes bill on March 31, 2008 following the kidnapping and murder of an elderly New Britain woman committed by a sex offender recently released from Connecticut prison. Following the New Britain crime McDonald lambasting the prosecutor who had handled the assailant's previous case, Waterbury State's Attorney John Connelly, who agreed to a plea bargain which sentenced the defendant to an eight-year prison term. Prominent defense lawyer Norm Pattis called McDonald a "knucklehead" for attacking Connelly as soft on crime, noting Connelly was responsible for most of the death penalty convictions in Connecticut.
McDonald is gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
. His campaigns have won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of openly LGBT public officials in US political life.The Victory Fund was founded in 1991...
. McDonald married Charles Gray in 2009.
In March 2009 McDonald and Judiciary committee co-chair Mike Lawlor proposed a bill (SB 1098
Connecticut Raised Bill 1098
Raised Bill 1098 is a bill in the Connecticut State Legislature that would apply solely to Roman Catholic parishes. The bill, introduced in March 2009, was sponsored by Democratic state senators Mike Lawlor and Andrew J...
) to regulate the management of Roman Catholic parishes in Connecticut. The bill, by allowing parishioners to create a lay board to govern a parish, in which board all control over fiscal and administrative matters would be vested, effectively removes the Parish Priest and Bishop from their traditional positions of power. The bill is specific to the Catholic Church and, as such, is viewed some as anti-Catholic and retaliation for Catholic opposition to same-sex marriage legislation. The public hearing on this bill was cancelled when, according to Capital Police, 1,000 supporters entered the Capital to protest. Another 4,200 were present outside the building.http://americanpapist.com/2009/03/connecticuts-anti-catholic-bill-update.html Opponents charged the bill would violate the separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
clause in the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
It would also violate the "Supremacy clause," and the Fourteenth Amendment barring discriminatory legislation.