Judicial Nomination—

Blawie Gains Committee Endorsement;

Awaits Action By Full Legislature

By Andrew Gorosko

Sandy Hook resident John F. Blawie has gained the endorsement of the state legislature’s judiciary committee in his bid to become a Connecticut Superior Court judge.

Mr Blawie, and eight other candidates for judgeships, gained the unanimous endorsement of the judiciary committee following an April 26 public hearing.

The committee’s recommendations are now subject to ratification by both houses of the state legislature.

State Representative Julia Wasserman of Sandy Hook said April 28 that the legislature is expected to act on the nine nominations for judgeships later this week. The legislative session ends May 5.

The governor nominated Mr Blawie and the eight others for judgeships on April 15.

Mr Blawie, 46, is a senior assistant state’s attorney, who works out of the office of Chief State’s Attorney in Rocky Hill and handles criminal prosecutions throughout the state. Mr Blawie’s specialty has been prosecuting white-collar crime and computer-based crime. He heads the state’s economic crime unit.

Mr Blawie began his legal career as an attorney with the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement division in New York City, where he prosecuted Wall Street insider trading cases. He later worked as a corporate lawyer for two Fairfield County-based corporate headquarters offices. He then returned to government service, working at the state’s attorney’s office in Bridgeport.

Mr Blawie’s wife, Karen, is a former member of Newtown’s Legislative Council. They have three children: Jack, 15, Brendan, 12, and Mary Kay, 8.

In a prepared statement, Mrs Wasserman said, “Mr Blawie’s background and experience in the legal profession make him uniquely qualified for an appointment as a Superior Court Judge. He has a reputation for fairness, the respect of his fellow attorneys, and a love for the law that will serve him well on the bench. I fully support his nomination to be a Superior Court judge and I strongly recommend his confirmation to my colleagues in the state House and Senate.”

In a statement, State Senator John McKinney said, “John is an exceptional choice. I have known him since childhood and he is intelligent, dedicated and, perhaps most important, a man of unparalleled integrity. He would make an excellent judge of the Superior Court.”

According to Mrs Wasserman and Mr McKinney, Mr Blawie has earned an impeccable reputation for sound decisionmaking and praise from his colleagues while a prosecutor in charge of the state’s economic crime unit.