John F. Blawie—

Sandy Hook Prosecutor Nominated For Judgeship

By Andrew Gorosko

A longtime Sandy Hook resident, who serves as a state prosecutor, has been nominated by the governor to become a Connecticut Superior Court judge.

Senior Assistant State’s Attorney John F. Blawie, 46, is among nine candidates for judgeships who were nominated by the governor on April 15. Mr Blawie’s nomination is subject to review and confirmation by the state legislature. A confirmation hearing is scheduled for April 26.

Mr Blawie works out of the Office of the 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. Such prosecutions are based on evidence contained in computer files and paperwork.

Born in Bridgeport and raised in Fairfield, Mr Blawie, a Republican, is a graduate of Holy Cross College and the University of Connecticut Law School. He has practiced law for the past 21 years.

Mr Blawie’s retired father worked as a lawyer for more than 40 years, practicing with the Bridgeport law firm Blawie and Belinkie.

Mr Blawie told The Bee in an interview this week that he had special training early in life that may serve him well as a judge. “I guess I was schooled in conflict resolution as the seventh of 12 children.”

Mr Blawie observed that becoming a judge does not automatically confer wisdom upon a person. To effectively serve as a judge, a person must be both fair and objective, and remain calm during cases that evoke deep emotions, he said. “It’s important to be viewed as fair and honest,” Mr Blawie said.

As a prosecutor, a lawyer advocates a specific position in a legal case, but a judge must assume a position of neutrality, he said. Judges must be fair, equitable, and evenhanded in their actions, he said. “It helps to be a good student of human nature,” he added.

Of the authority vested in judges, and the wide-ranging effects that their decisions have on people, Mr Blawie said, “It’s humbling.”

As a prosecutor, Mr Blawie has focused on criminal matters. Serving as a judge and hearing civil cases would be a broadening experience, he said. State courts handle criminal, civil, family, and juvenile matters. As a new judge, Mr Blawie would be assigned to one of the many courthouses throughout the state. The state has 22 judicial districts and approximately 180 Superior Court judges.

Background

Mr Blawie began his legal career as an attorney with the US Security 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.

He has lectured extensively on economic crime and computer-based crime. He is the state coordinator for the US Treasury Department’s financial database and intelligence network on money-laundering prosecutions and antiterrorism.

Mr Blawie is the state representative to the National White Collar Crime Center; he has taught prosecutors and police officers about white-collar crime.

He helped found the policy board for the Connecticut Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Mr Blawie co-authored Connecticut Law Enforcement Guidelines for Computer Systems and Data Search and Seizure.

During his career, Mr Blawie has successfully prosecuted jury trials ranging from white-collar crime to murder cases. He recently concluded the prosecution of a computer network intrusion case involving a Yale University computer network.

In the summer of 2001, Mr Blawie was the first state prosecutor to become involved in the then-ongoing federal investigation into then-Waterbury mayor Philip Giordano. Mr Giordano was later sentenced to 37 years in federal prison for sex crimes against children.

Mr Blawie is a member of the Booth Library Board of Trustees in Newtown. He formerly served as a member of Newtown’s Committee to Improve Educational Diversity. He has lived in town for more than 20 years.

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.