The Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association's Commitment to Justice for All and to Our Judges

February 28, 2025

In case after case, our courts and our judges are being called on to decide unprecedented questions: whether thousands of federal employees will retain their jobs, whether government agencies will continue to exist, whether our government information is entitled to privacy. In each case, the judge hears two competing arguments, two competing stories, and makes a reasoned decision under the law. A judge who does that is not weaponizing justice. The judge is doing their job. The judge is also doing work essential to the health of our democracy.

It is something to be treasured that we are a nation of laws. It is something to be treasured that judges in this country administer justice fairly and impartially. Our commitment to fairness and justice for all—no matter the pressures toward injustice—has never been more important. Under the rule of law, no person is above the law, and all persons, institutions and corporations are accountable for the harms they cause to others. That is why the independence of our judiciary is an essential and sacred part of our system of government.

John Lewis said, "Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society." We must do our part. The CTLA pledges to uphold the rule of law; to work to ensure the independence and security of our judges; and to be a voice for fundamental fairness, equity and justice for all. That is what trial lawyers do.

Alinor Sterling
President
Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association