Sec. 51-46a. Statement of financial interests to be reported.
Sec. 51-46a. Statement of financial interests to be reported. (a) Each judge of
the Superior Court, each judge of the Appellate Court, each judge of the Supreme Court
and each family support magistrate shall file under penalty of false statement, a statement
of financial interests for the preceding calendar year with the Office of the Chief Court
Administrator on or before April fifteenth next for any year in which the judge or family
support magistrate holds such position.
(b) The statement, on a form provided by the Office of the Chief Court Administrator, shall include the following information for the preceding calendar year in regard to
the judge or family support magistrate, his or her spouse and the dependent children
living in his or her household: (1) With respect to the judge or family support magistrate,
the statement shall include: (A) The date, place and nature of any activity for which
the judge or family support magistrate received compensation other than judicial or
magisterial compensation for services rendered and the name of the payor and the
amount of the compensation received provided, if the compensation received was a fee
for an appearance or the delivery of an address to any meeting of any organization, the
report of the fee so received shall be filed within thirty days after receipt of the fee; (B)
the name of each security in excess of five thousand dollars at fair market value owned
by the judge or family support magistrate or held in the name of a corporation, partnership
or trust for the benefit of the judge or family support magistrate, except in the case of
a trust established by a judge or family support magistrate for the purpose of divesting
himself or herself of all control and knowledge of his or her assets in order to avoid a
conflict of interest during his or her term of office, only the existence of the trust and
the name of the trustee shall be included, but the value need not be specified; (C) all
real property and its location, whether owned by the judge or family support magistrate
or held in the name of a corporation, partnership or trust for the benefit of the judge or
family support magistrate; (2) with respect to his or her spouse and dependent children
living in his or her household, the statement shall include: (A) The name of all businesses
with which the spouse or child is associated; (B) the category or type of all sources of
income of his or her spouse or each child in excess of one thousand dollars, but amounts
of income need not be specified, and the names and addresses of specific clients and
customers who provide more than five thousand dollars of income, and amounts of
income need not be specified; (C) the name of each security in excess of five thousand
dollars at fair market value owned by the spouse or each child or held in the name of a
corporation, partnership or trust for the benefit of the spouse or child, except in the case
of a trust established by the spouse or child for the purpose of divesting the spouse or
child of all control and knowledge of his or her assets in order to avoid a conflict of
interest during the judge's or family support magistrate's term of office, only the existence of the trust and the name of the trustee shall be included, but the value need not
be specified; (D) all real property and its location, whether owned by the spouse or child
or held in the name of a corporation, partnership or trust for the benefit of the spouse
or child; (E) any fees or honorariums received for any appearance or the delivery of an
address to any meeting of any organization by the spouse or child shall be disclosed
within thirty days after receipt of the fee or honorarium.
(c) The statement filed pursuant to this section shall be a matter of public information, except the list of names filed in accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection (b)
of this section shall be sealed and confidential and for the use of the Judicial Review
Council and the Supreme Court only if an investigation has been initiated under section
51-51j and the Judicial Review Council or the Supreme Court is of the opinion that
disclosure of the list is germane to the investigation. The list may be subject to a subpoena
in any criminal prosecution, impeachment proceedings or a hearing before the Supreme
Court under section 51-51j.
(d) The financial statement, except as provided in subdivision (2) of subsection (b)
of this section shall be open to inspection at the Office of the Chief Court Administrator
of the Judicial Department or at a place designated by the Chief Court Administrator.
(e) The Chief Court Administrator shall report to the Judicial Review Council any
judge or family support magistrate who fails to file any statement required by this section.
(P.A. 78-281, S. 1; P.A. 82-248, S. 21; P.A. 85-140, S. 1; P.A. 89-360, S. 28, 45; P.A. 97-132, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A.
98-1, S. 89.)
History: P.A. 82-248 rephrased provisions of section and changed reference to "executive secretary" to "chief court
administrator"; P.A. 85-140 amended Subsec. (a) to require that appellate court judges file financial interests statement;
P.A. 89-360 added references to family support magistrates; P.A. 97-132 amended Subsec. (a) to provide filing of statement
of financial interest with Office of Chief Court Administrator instead of Judicial Review Council, amended Subsec. (b)
to require forms provided by Office of Chief Court Administrator, made a conforming change in Subsec. (c), and added
new Subsec. (e) re report by Chief Court Administrator to Judicial Review Council re any judge or family support magistrate
who fails to file statement; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 made a technical change in Subsec. (c).