Chief Judge Melanie L. Cradle of the state Appellate Court was nominated Monday by Gov. Ned Lamont to the Connecticut Supreme Court. If confirmed by the General Assembly, Cradle, 56, would become the first Black woman to serve on the state’s highest court.
Cradle was nominated to succeed Associate Justice Joan K. Alexander, who has submitted her resignation effective Aug. 1. Alexander will remain a judge and continue her role as chief court administrator, according to Lamont’s office.
Cradle has been a judge for more than a decade. She was nominated to the Superior Court by then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in 2013 and to the Appellate Court by Lamont in 2020. She has served as chief judge of the Appellate Court since last year.
Lamont also nominated Superior Court Judge W. Glen Pierson, 57, to fill the Appellate Court seat Cradle would vacate. Pierson has served as a trial judge since 2017 and is currently assigned to the complex litigation docket in Waterbury, according to the governor’s office.
The nominations now head to the General Assembly for confirmation.