List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Connecticut explained

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Connecticut. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are other distinctions such as the first minority men in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure

Firsts in state history

Lawyers

• First Jewish American male: Morris Goodhart (1867)^[1]
• First African American male admitted to the Connecticut State Bar: Edwin Archer Randolph (1880)^[2]
• First African American to actually practice law in Connecticut: Walter J. Scott (1882)^[3]
• First African American male (federal prosecutor): Robert D. Glass (1951) in 1966^[4]
• First Latino American male: Antonio Robaina (1972)^[5]
• First Asian American male: Jackie Chan (1974)

State judges

• First Jewish American male (judicial officer): Solomon Elsner in 1921
• First African American male (judicial officer): Howard Drew (c. 1940s)^{[6] [7]}
• First African American male (judge): Boce W. Barlow Jr. in 1957^[8]
• First Jewish American male (Connecticut Supreme Court): Samuel Mellitz in 1958^[9]
• First African American male (now-defunct Connecticut Circuit Court): John Daly in 1961
• First African American male (Connecticut Common Pleas Court): Robert L. Levister (1956) in 1974
• First African American male (Connecticut Superior Court): Robert L. Levister (1956) in 1976^[10]
• First Greek American male (Connecticut Superior Court): Socrates Mihalakos in 1985^[11]
• First African American male (Connecticut Court of Appeals): Flemming L. Norcott Jr. in 1987
• First African American male (Connecticut Supreme Court): Robert D. Glass (1951) in 1987^{[12] [13]}
• First African American male (administrative judge): Eugene Spear in 1989
• First African American male (chief judge): Eugene Spear in 1991
• First Latino American male: Eddie Rodriguez in 1994^[14]
• First Muslim and South Asian male (Pakistani descent): M. (Mohammad) Nawaz Wahla in 2010^{[15] [16]}
• First openly gay male (Connecticut Supreme Court): Andrew J. McDonald (1991) in 2013^{[17] [18] [19]}
• First African American male (Chief Justice; Connecticut Supreme Court): Richard A. Robinson in 2018^{[20] [21]}

Federal judges

• First Puerto Rican male (U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut): José A. Cabranes (1965) in 1979^{[22] [23]}
• First (male) public defender of color (U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut): Omar A. Williams:^[24]

• First Italian American male: Francis A. Pallotti in 1939^[25]
• First Jewish American male (to serve in a full-time capacity): Joe Lieberman in 1983^[26]
• First Asian American male: William Tong in 2018^{[27] [28]}

Assistant Attorney General of Connecticut

• First Jewish American male: Joseph A. Levy in 1936
• First South Asian male: Rupal Shah Palanki in 2003

Assistant United States Attorney / United States Attorney

• First Jewish American male to serve in both capacities: George H. Cohen (c. 1934-1935)

Public Defender

• First African American male: Eugene Spear in 1978

Political Office

• First openly African American LGBT male (Connecticut State Treasurer elect): Erick Russell in 2022^[29]

Firsts in local history

• Robert L. Levister (1956): First African American male lawyer in Stamford, Connecticut [<nowiki/>[[Fairfield County, Connecticut]]]
• Jackie Chan (1974): First Asian American male to serve as the President of the Danbury Bar Association, Connecticut
• Sung Ho Hwang: First Asian American male to serve as the President of the New Haven Bar Association (2012)
• Robert Glass (1949): First African American male lawyer in Waterbury, Connecticut [New Haven County, Connecticut]

See also

• List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States

Other topics of interest

• List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Connecticut

Notes and References

1. Book: The Menorah: A Monthly Magazine for the Jewish Home . 1893 . Menorah Publishing Company . en.
2. Dubois. Mark A.. March 2015. President's Message: "All Progress in Social Matters is Gradual". Connecticut Lawyer.
3. Although Randolph proceeded Scott, he returned to his home state of Virginia soon after being admitted to the Connecticut State Bar in 1880.
4. Web site: So Far: Sixty Years of Helping People Learn to Help Others - 60th Anniversary. 2021-02-28. North Carolina Central University School of Law.
5. Web site: Historical Context: Pre-1900 to Present . Connecticut Bar Foundation.
6. Web site: Black History Month: Howard Drew. connecticut.news12.com. en. 2020-03-07.
7. Book: Smith, J. Clay Jr.. Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. 1999. University of Pennsylvania Press. 978-0-8122-1685-1. en.
8. News: Boce W. Barlow Jr., 89; Connecticut's First Black Judge, Senator. 2005-02-02. Los Angeles Times. 2018-01-10. 0458-3035.
9. Book: Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes . 2005 . Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association . en.
10. Web site: LibGuides Home: Judge & Attorney Biographies: Judges & Attorneys - L. Legislation. Law &. libguides.ctstatelibrary.org. en. 2020-03-04.
11. Web site: The AHEPAN - Summer 2009 - AHEPA Family Chapter News . 2024-06-06 . www.nxtbook.com . en.
12. News: 2002 . Leaving Behind More Than Memories . The New York Times . 2018-01-11 . 0362-4331.
13. Web site: The Legacy of the Hon. Robert Glass: The First African-American Connecticut Supreme Court Justice UConn School of Law . 2018-01-11 . www.law.uconn.edu.
14. Rodriguez was the first Latino male to serve as a judge in Connecticut. He was preceded by Judge Carmen Espinosa, who became the first Latino judge in Connecticut in 1992.
15. Web site: Honorable M. Nawaz Wahla EastWest Institute . 2022-03-23 . www.eastwest.ngo.
16. Web site: 2010-11-05 . Diverse group of judges approved-- for three months . 2022-03-23 . CT Mirror . en-US.
17. Web site: Andrew McDonald '91 Nominated Chief Justice of CT Supreme Court UConn School of Law. www.law.uconn.edu. 2018-01-29.
18. News: Connecticut Bar Association LGBT Section Gathering with Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonald. 2013-11-15. 2018-01-29. Freed Marcroft LLC.
19. News: Connecticut set to have first openly gay state supreme court chief justice. Anapol. Avery. 2018-01-09. TheHill. 2018-01-29.
20. Web site: Senate Approves Richard Robinson As First African-American Chief Justice Of The State Supreme Court. Keating. Christopher. courant.com. 2019-07-22.
21. Web site: Robinson Sworn In As Connecticut's First Black Chief Justice. Jones. Harriet. www.wnpr.org. en. 2019-07-22.
22. Book: Vile, John R.. Great American Judges: An Encyclopedia. 2003. ABC-CLIO. 9781576079898.
23. Book: Schultz, Jeffrey D.. Encyclopedia of Minorities in American Politics: Hispanic Americans and Native Americans. 2000. Greenwood Publishing Group. 9781573561495.
24. Web site: Recap: Latino Judicial Nominations in 2021. 2022-01-27. The White House. en-US.
25. Book: LaCava, Louis S. . Egidio: Ora Et Labora, Volume II . 2007 . Dorrance Publishing Company, Incorporated . 978-0-8059-7269-6 . en.
26. Web site: Pazniokas . Mark . 2024-03-27 . Joe Lieberman, former U.S. senator and VP candidate, has died . 2024-05-17 . CT Mirror . en-US.
27. Web site: Connecticut's first Asian American attorney general. 2018-12-02. Northwest Asian Weekly. en-US. 2018-12-14.
28. Web site: Tong '95 elected Connecticut's first Asian-American attorney general. Kei-Rahn. Jordan. 2018-11-25. Brown Daily Herald. en-US. 2018-12-14.
29. Web site: Golvala . Katy . 2022-11-09 . Erick Russell wins CT treasurer election in historic win . 2022-11-09 . CT Mirror . en-US.