Sec. 51-181. Times and places for the sitting of the Superior Court.
Sec. 51-181. Times and places for the sitting of the Superior Court. (a) The
Superior Court shall sit continuously throughout the year, at such times and places and
for such periods as are set by the Chief Court Administrator or, with the approval of the
Chief Court Administrator, his designee, in the following cities or towns except as
otherwise provided by law: (1) In the judicial district of Ansonia-Milford, at Ansonia
or Derby and at Milford; (2) in the judicial district of Danbury, at Danbury; (3) in the
judicial district of Fairfield, at Bridgeport; (4) in the judicial district of Hartford, at
Hartford and, whenever suitable accommodations are provided without expense to the
state, at Manchester; (5) in the judicial district of Litchfield, at Litchfield, New Milford,
Winchester and Torrington; (6) in the judicial district of Middlesex, at Middletown; (7)
in the judicial district of New Britain, at New Britain and Bristol; (8) in the judicial
district of New Haven, at New Haven and Meriden; (9) in the judicial district of New
London, at Norwich and New London; (10) in the judicial district of Stamford-Norwalk,
at Stamford; (11) in the judicial district of Tolland, at Rockville; (12) in the judicial
district of Waterbury, at Waterbury; and (13) in the judicial district of Windham, at
Putnam and Willimantic.
(b) The court shall sit not less than forty weeks in Bristol and Stamford.
(1949 Rev., S. 7623; 1951, 1953, 1955, S. 3113d; 1957, P.A. 44 5, S. 2; 452, S. 1; 603, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 152, S. 70;
1963, P.A. 465; February, 1965, P.A. 331, S. 21; 1967, P.A. 386, S. 1; 1972, P.A. 165, S. 16; June, 1972, P.A. 1, S. 20;
P.A. 73-290; 73-603, S. 4; P.A. 75-530, S. 30, 35; P.A. 76-436, S. 10a, 86, 681; P.A. 77-411, S. 3, 6; 77-576, S. 27, 65;
77-604, S. 59, 84; P.A. 78-280, S. 82, 127; 78-379, S. 6, 27; P.A. 80-201, S. 4, 9; P.A. 82-248, S. 88; P.A. 88-230, S. 6,
12; P.A. 90-98, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-142, S. 7, 8; P.A. 95-220, S. 4-6; P.A. 98-81, S. 15, 20.)
History: 1959 act substituted state for county in regard to expenses, county government having been abolished; 1963
act deleted provision session at Meriden be held only when quarters are provided without expense to the state; 1965 act
provided the court be continuously in session and substituted the chief court administrator for the chief justice; 1967 act
changed dates for sessions from second Tuesday of September, December, March and June; 1972 acts added reference to
judicial districts and deleted reference to sessions at Waterbury in New Haven county, effective September 5, 1972; P.A.
73-290 required three sessions in New Britain rather than two; P.A. 73-603 increased number of sessions at Danbury from
two to four; P.A. 75-530 deleted requirement for once-a-year naturalization session in New Britain; P.A. 76-436 transferred
power to fix times, places and duration of sessions from chief judge of superior court to chief court administrator or his
designee, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 77-411 required four sessions annually at Bristol; P.A. 77-576 amended section to
replace counties with specified judicial districts and to replace provision requiring four sessions with provision requiring
court to sit continuously, similarly replacing provisions requiring certain localities required to have three or four sessions
with provision requiring that court sit at least 40 weeks at Danbury and 30 weeks at Stamford, effective July 1, 1978; P.A.
77-604 made technical grammatical correction; P.A. 78-280 continued substitution of specific judicial districts for counties,
required that court sit 40 weeks in Bristol and Stamford, replacing provision requiring that it sit 40 weeks in Danbury and
30 weeks in Stamford and deleted provisions re specific purposes, i.e. civil business and naturalization of aliens, for which
court sits; P.A. 78-379 essentially reiterated changes of P.A. 78-280; P.A. 80-201 added judicial district of Stamford-Norwalk; P.A. 82-248 divided section into Subsecs. and placed judicial districts in alphabetical order; P.A. 88-230 added
requirement that the court sit in the judicial district of New Britain, at New Britain and Bristol, and changed reference to
the judicial district of Hartford-New Britain to the judicial district of Hartford to reflect the division of the judicial district
of Hartford-New Britain into two separate judicial districts, effective September 1, 1991; P.A. 90-98 changed the effective
date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1991, to September 1, 1993; P.A. 93-142 changed the effective date of P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1993, to September 1, 1996, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 95-220 changed the effective date of
P.A. 88-230 from September 1, 1996, to September 1, 1998, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 98-81 deleted phrase "whenever
suitable accommodations are provided without expense to the state at" before "Torrington" in Subsec. (a)(5).
See Sec. 51-180 re criminal terms and sessions.
See Sec. 51-183a re procedure when a judge is unable to hold court.
Annotations to former statute:
Cited. 139 C. 260. Cited. 143 C. 688.
Annotations to present section:
Cited. 174 C. 567. Cited. 199 C. 417.
Superior court is continuously in session with four sessions held on first Tuesdays of September, January and April
and on first Tuesday following July 4. A session is only part of a "term". 28 CS 118.