Dannel Malloy, Democratic Governor of Connecticut, has nominated state Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonald for chief justice. This would make McDonald the first openly gay state chief justice in the United States. McDonald became part of the Supreme Court five years ago.
Malloy and McDonald have worked closely together since Malloy was mayor of the city of Stamford, but has selected McDonald because of “his intellect, temperament and respect for the rule of law,” according to the CT Mirror. Malloy also mentioned in regard to the historic moment “It also can’t go without noting the national significance of this nomination.”
As chief justice, McDonald would be the first member of the LGBT community to have the highest court in any state. Nationally, there are only a handful of LGBT justices in state supreme courts.
McDonald, who is 51, married his long-time partner, Charles Gray, in 2009 and has shared how important his decision to be open about his sexuality has been to his personal and professional career regardless of what those close to him advised:
When I was born here in Connecticut a little more than 50 years ago, loving relationships like the one Charles and I cherish were criminal in 49 states, including Connecticut. And when I came out in the early 1990s, I had family members who loved me deeply but so counseled me against pursuing either a career in law or in public service because of the deeply ingrained prejudices held by some people at that time.
