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Bombshell #2: Bysiewicz Can’t Run
by Staff | May 19, 2010 8:57 am
(11) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author
Posted to: Politics, State
Susan Bysiewicz’s rocky quest for higher office met an abrupt end Tuesday afternoon, as the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled she can’t run for attorney general.
Bysiewicz (pictured), a popular Democrat who’s secretary of the state, originally ran for governor this year. Then she shifted gears and ran for attorney general instead—a fateful decision that met controversy from the start. First she wouldn’t commit to serving a full four years. Then it turned out she might not legally qualify for the job, because she hasn’t been practicing law for the past 10 years.
The matter went to court. Bysiewicz convinced the lower court that even though she hasn’t been appearing before judges or doing technical legal work, her job as secretary of the state could still meet the legal definition of being a lawyer. So she had permission to run after all.
But the state Republican Party appealed that lower court decision to the state’s highest court. On Tuesday the court ruled from the bench that Bysiewicz has in fact not been working as a lawyer, and is therefore ineligible to run for attorney general.
In a written statement, Bysiewicz said she would not fight the decision.
“I am tremendously disappointed with the court’s decision overturning Judge Sheldon’s ruling and I strongly disagree with the decision both on the eligibility and the constitutionality issue,” she wrote. “However, I do respect the rule of law and will abide by it.”
Bysiewicz’s attorney Dan Krisch said the high court found that the statute defining the requirements of office is constitutional and his client does not qualify under it.
“Right now we don’t know why they ruled the way they did,” Krisch said. Since there are not any issues they will be able to take to the U.S. Supreme Court, he said, it looks like this is “probably the end of the line.”
Longtime New Haven lawyer Pat King was one of dozens of spectators who made the trip to the high court Tuesday to see the arguments at 2 p.m. Pretty much every seat in the courtroom was taken, she said. After the arguments, Justice Flemming Norcott, Jr. told the lawyers from both sides to stick around—an indication that they would decide the case from the bench, rather than issue a written ruling at a later time.
King, who’s on New Haven’s Democratic Town Committee, stuck around until Norcott emerged with a decision after less than an hour of deliberations and read it aloud.
“I was surprised that they gave a ruling from the bench,” King said. “It’s extremely rare.”
King opined that the ruling was “a good thing, because the convention is coming up, and I think it’s better to have this issue disposed of sooner rather than later.” With the appeal pending, she said, Bysiewicz said “she would be pretty much paralyzed with the open question hanging in the air.”
The high court’s ruling throws the attorney general race wide open. Three people had been running for the Democratic nomination: Bysiewicz, New Haven State Rep. Cam Staples, and former state Party Chairman George Jepsen. Staples dropped out last week. That leaves only Jepsen standing. But political insiders were already talking Tuesday afternoon of finding another candidate by this weekend’s convention.
Tags: Susan Bysiewicz, 2010 campaign
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Comments
posted by: Threefifths on May 18, 2010 5:21pm
That leaves only Jepsen standing. But political insiders were already tlaking Tuesday afternoon of finding another candidate by this weekend’s convention
You see to all of you two party system slaves.This shows how the two party system is load it with political patronage. Look at how George Jepsen who is running for the Democratic nomination and his own Democratic party is geting ready to throw him under the bus and find another candidate by this weekend’s convention.Again we must get away from this two party system and get proportional representation now or keep being slaves to the two party system.
posted by: Michele L on May 18, 2010 6:24pm
Three Fifths is right, the two party system is not working, not even for their own members. And it is not working for the people. Third party candidates have a good shot this year to get some seat in local, state and federal elections.
The Green Party has a candidate for Attorney General Steve Fournier. Check him out.
posted by: robn on May 18, 2010 6:25pm
Completely proper ruling. I’m glad that we’ve resisted the political gerrymandering that happens in so many other states.
posted by: roomforaview on May 18, 2010 6:42pm
Wow. Well her switching was a huge mistake when she seemed on track to be our next governor. Now if she is smart she’ll go back to run again in her Sec. of State slot and keep a low profile for awhile. She’s crippled but still in the game.
posted by: Steve on May 18, 2010 11:41pm
She should get a real job, to earn her living.
These people are all carried away, they are out of touch, what is going on in the real world. They collect huge salaries, getting benefits. We are unemployed, lost our home, as the result. We have no health insurance!! All of these politicians are well off, we should vote them all out of office. they are all corrupt. The longer they are in office, the more corrupt they are. Look at our Governor, she was a lieutenant Governor under Rowland, for how many years, and she did not know what Roland was doing!!!??? Get rid of, all of them, when election time comes around. Vote out all of the BUMS!!!!
posted by: Drosophila on the Wall on May 19, 2010 5:20am
She should take a job in the private sector as a consultant for a couple years, preferably one with some good media exposure, and then “triumphantly return” to run against Joe Lieberman in 2012.
posted by: Walt on May 19, 2010 6:10am
Sort of restores a little faith in the Judiciary, doesn’t it? (Not in the politically involved lower Court)
posted by: Pedro d'Ibiza on May 19, 2010 9:30am
... Thank you Supreme Court for finally ending this episode of madness. What’s disappointing is that even with her disastrous testimony and actions she STILL led in the polls prior to this ruling! what is wrong with Nutmeggers?
posted by: cba on May 19, 2010 9:59am
The decision of the Supreme Court was correct and this politician has learned the basic lesson that you cannot change the rules to suit your own political agenda.
posted by: Liberal Democrat on May 19, 2010 10:14am
I’m a Democrat, but I’m happy with this ruling. I don’t vote for “any Democrat” that runs- I vote for whom I feel will do the best job, and who represents my values best.
Susan Bysiewicz clearly wasn’t qualified under state statute to run for this office. That she took the matter to court on her own volition was the death knell for her campaign.
George Jepsen will get my vote- he exposed the Enron scandal and clearly has been practicing law since Harvard Law School.
The law serves to protect us, and Bysiewicz was clearly trying to bend the law to suit her needs. That is unethical, and certainly would shake my confidence in her doing the right thing when times were tough.
