Richard N. Palmer
Encyclopedia
Justice Richard N. Palmer is an Associate Justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court
. He was born on May 27, 1950 in Hartford, CT. He received his Bachelor of Arts Phi Beta Kappa, from Trinity College
in Hartford in 1972. He went on to receive the Juris Doctor with high honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law
, in 1977.
Following law school, Justice Palmer clerked for Honorable Jon O. Newman. After practicing privately with Shipman and Goodman, Justice Palmer as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, interrupted briefly by a stint in the firm of Chatigny and Palmer (with Federal District Judge Robert Chatigny). In 1991, Justice Palmer served as the United States Attorney in Connecticut, and subsequently became Chief State's Attorney for the State of Connecticut. On March 17, 1993, he was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
On October 10, 2008, Justice Palmer wrote the majority opinion for the Connecticut Supreme Court case Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health
, granting marriage
rights to same-sex couples in Connecticut, striking down a law passed in 2005 granting civil union rights to them.
Connecticut Supreme Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol...
. He was born on May 27, 1950 in Hartford, CT. He received his Bachelor of Arts Phi Beta Kappa, from Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
in Hartford in 1972. He went on to receive the Juris Doctor with high honors 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...
, in 1977.
Following law school, Justice Palmer clerked for Honorable Jon O. Newman. After practicing privately with Shipman and Goodman, Justice Palmer as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, interrupted briefly by a stint in the firm of Chatigny and Palmer (with Federal District Judge Robert Chatigny). In 1991, Justice Palmer served as the United States Attorney in Connecticut, and subsequently became Chief State's Attorney for the State of Connecticut. On March 17, 1993, he was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
On October 10, 2008, Justice Palmer wrote the majority opinion for the Connecticut Supreme Court case Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health
Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health
Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health, 289 Conn. 135, 957 A.2d 407, is a 2008 decision by the Connecticut Supreme Court holding that the Connecticut Constitution protects the right to same-sex marriage. The vote was 4-3. The decision made Connecticut the third state to have its state supreme...
, granting marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
rights to same-sex couples in Connecticut, striking down a law passed in 2005 granting civil union rights to them.