Press Releases
10/03/2017
Gov. Malloy Nominates Maria Araujo Kahn and Raheem Mullins to Supreme Court, William Bright to Appellate Court
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he is nominating the Honorable Maria Araujo Kahn of Cheshire and the Honorable Raheem L. Mullins of Cromwell to fill vacancies as associate justices on the Connecticut Supreme Court – the state’s highest court. Both nominees currently serve as judges on the Appellate Court.
“It is an honor to nominate two highly respected Appellate Court judges for elevation onto our state’s highest court,” Governor Malloy said. “They both have had impressive careers, and during their time on the bench have become among our state’s most respected jurists. Judge Kahn and Judge Mullins will serve the people of Connecticut well on the Supreme Court.”
Judge Kahn will fill the seat that was most recently held by Justice Carmen E. Espinosa, who elected to take senior status in July. Judge Mullins will fill the seat of Justice Dennis G. Eveleigh, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Monday.
“I am immensely grateful to Governor Malloy for the honor and the trust he has placed in me through this nomination,” Judge Kahn said. “I have devoted my career to public service and am truly humbled by the chance to continue to serve the people of Connecticut as a member of the Supreme Court. If confirmed by the General Assembly, I will work hard to prove worthy of that trust.”
“I am honored and grateful for the trust Governor Malloy has demonstrated in me by nominating me to serve on the Supreme Court,” Judge Mullins said. “It is a privilege to be nominated and, if confirmed by the legislature, I will faithfully discharge my duty to the people of the State of Connecticut.”
The Governor today also announced that he is nominating Superior Court Judge William H. Bright, Jr. of Columbia to fill one of the two vacancies that are being created on the Appellate Court with the elevations of Judge Kahn and Judge Mullins.
“Since 2008, Judge Bright has served on the Superior Court with distinction,” Governor Malloy said. “He will bring with him a great amount of experience and competence to the Appellate Court.”
“I am deeply thankful to Governor Malloy for nominating me to serve on the Appellate Court,” Judge Bright said. “It is an absolute honor and privilege to have this opportunity. If confirmed by the legislature I will work hard every day to prove myself worthy of the Governor’s trust.”
The Honorable Maria Araujo Kahn
Judge Kahn was born in Angola and emigrated to the United States at ten years of age. She became a judge of the Superior Court in 2006 and primarily heard criminal matters in that position. In May 2017, Governor Malloy nominated her to serve on the Appellate Court.
Before becoming a judge, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Haven. As a federal prosecutor, Judge Kahn was responsible for complex white-collar investigations and prosecutions, both civil and criminal, in the areas of health care fraud, bank fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and trade secrets.
She graduated from New York University cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in politics in 1986, and earned her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law in 1989
She is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.
The Honorable Raheem L. Mullins
Judge Mullins became a judge of the Appellate Court in May 2014, after having been nominated by Governor Malloy and approved by the General Assembly. Prior to that, he was nominated by Governor Malloy in 2012 to serve as a judge of the Superior Court.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Mullins was an Assistant State’s Attorney for the Appellate Bureau, Division of Criminal Justice, in Rocky Hill, and an Assistant Attorney General in the Child Protection Division in Hartford. He worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Frederick L. Brown of the Massachusetts Appeals Court from 2004 to 2005.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2001 and his Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law in 2004.
The Honorable William H. Bright, Jr.
Judge Bright was confirmed by the General Assembly to serve on the Superior Court in March 2008.
Prior to his appointment on the bench, Judge Bright served from 2003 to 2008 as a partner with McCarter & English, LLP in Hartford, where he worked as a trial attorney and co-chair of the firm’s business litigation group. It was there that he represented large and small businesses and individual in a wide variety of business disputes, including breach of contract, business torts, fraud, and intellectual property. From 1987 to 2003 he worked as an associate and partner with Cummings & Lockwood, LLC in Hartford.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1984, and graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago in 1987.- Twitter: @GovMalloyOffice
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