Melanie Cradle nominated as first Black woman to Connecticut Supreme Court

Chief Judge Melanie L. Cradle of the Appellate Court was nominated Monday by Gov. Ned Lamont to the state Supreme Court, positioning her to become the first Black woman to serve on Connecticut’s highest court.

If confirmed by the General Assembly, she would succeed Joan K. Alexander, who has submitted her resignation as an associate justice, effective Aug. 1. She will remain a judge and continue her role as the chief court administrator.

Cradle, 56, has been a judge for more than a decade, nominated to the Superior Court by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in 2013 and to the Appellate Court by Lamont in 2020. She has been chief judge since last year.

Lamont nominated Superior Court Judge W. Glen Pierson to succeed Cradle on the Appellate Court. Pierson, 57, has been a trial judge since 2017 and currently is assigned to the complex litigation docket in Waterbury.

The governor noted the nominations were coming as the nation prepares for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and “the greatest sentence ever written: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

He paused and added, “It only took us 250 years, but Melanie would be the first African American woman ever on Connecticut’s Supreme Court.”

The remark prompted extended applause from colleagues and relatives of both nominees, as well as members of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus and the Senate’s top leaders.

Cradle’s family history intersects with contemporary and historic legal controversies. Her mother is an immigrant, a German who emigrated to the U.S. to be married to a Black serviceman from Virginia.

Her mother, husband and two daughters attended the announcement. Her father is deceased.

“My mother, who is here with me today, and my father, who I know is here with me today in spirit — my success is a result of the examples set by them,” Cradle said.

Cradle recognized the presence of Lubbie Harper Jr., the third Black man to serve on the state Supreme Court. She called him a mentor.

Cradle has Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology and sociology from Adelphi University and a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. She was a state prosecutor before becoming a judge.

“If I am fortunate to be confirmed by the legislature, I will work faithfully for the people of this state to earn the trust that has been placed in me,” she said.

Pierson has a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics from Princeton University and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He was a civil litigator at Loughlin FitzGerald in Wallingford before becoming a judge.

“It is in a spirit of humility that if I am confirmed I dedicate myself to fulfilling the ideals of our judiciary and in particular equal justice under law,” he said.

He is married to a judge, Charles Reid. They met three decades ago while both worked at Wiggin & Dana. Reid was present Monday to photograph the announcement.

Pierson would assumed Cradle’s seat on the Appellate Court, but not her title as chief.

Unlike the Supreme Court, where the chief justice is a gubernatorial nominee, the chief judge of the Appellate Court is an appointee of Raheem L. Mullins, the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

Mullins announced later Monday that his choice for chief was Judge Robert W. Clark, who already sits on the Appellate Court.

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This story was originally published by The Connecticut Mirror and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.