Ellen Ash Peters
Encyclopedia
Ellen Ash Peters was appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court
in 1978. She was the first woman appointed to that court.
At age nine she emigrated to the United States with her parents from Nazi Germany. Peters attended Hunter College High School in New York, and graduated with honors from Swarthmore College
and cum laude from Yale Law School
in 1954.
Peters served as professor of law at Yale
until 1978 when she was appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court
. Peters remained an adjunct professor from 1978 to 1984. Peters became the first woman to be named a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1978, the first female Chief Justice in Connecticut history in 1984.
Peters was the first recipient of the Ella T. Grasso
Distinguished Service Medal. Peters has been honored by numerous organizations. She was the recipient of the Judiciary Award of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers' Association, the Yale Law School Distinguished Service Medal, and the Hartford College for Women Pioneer Woman Award. In 2002, she was honored with the Warren E. Burger
Award from the National Center for State Courts.
Notable committee and board memberships of Peters include the Connecticut Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (1973-74), and the national Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices (1987). Peters became its first woman president in 1994. Justice Peters sat as Chief Justice from 1984 to 1996 when she elected to take senior status and continued to sit with the Court as needed until she turned 70 in 2000. Peters remains extremely active as a Judge Trial Referee designated to the Appellate Court in Hartford.
refers to a 1989 lawsuit and the subsequent 1996 Connecticut Supreme Court case (Sheff v. O'Neill, 238 Conn. 1, 678 A.2d 1267) that resulted in a landmark decision regarding civil rights
and the right to education
. In 1996 the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the state had an affirmative obligation to provide Connecticut's school children with a substantially equal educational opportunity and that this constitutionally guaranteed right encompasses the access to a public education which is not substantially and materially impaired by racial and ethnic isolation. The Court further concluded that school districting based upon town and city boundary lines are unconstitutional, and cited a statute that bounds school districts by town lines as a key factor in the high concentrations of racial and ethnic minorities in Hartford. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P3-582143061.html This was a split 4-3 decision, which was authored by Chief Justice Peters. She was joined in the majority opinion by Justices Robert Berdon, Flemming L. Norcott, Jr.
, and Joette Katz
. Justice David Borden authored the dissent, with Justices Robert Callahan and Richard Palmer
concurring with the dissent.
Connecticut Supreme Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol...
in 1978. She was the first woman appointed to that court.
At age nine she emigrated to the United States with her parents from Nazi Germany. Peters attended Hunter College High School in New York, and graduated with honors from Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
and cum laude from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 1954.
Peters served as professor of law at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
until 1978 when she was appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court
Connecticut Supreme Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol...
. Peters remained an adjunct professor from 1978 to 1984. Peters became the first woman to be named a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1978, the first female Chief Justice in Connecticut history in 1984.
Peters was the first recipient of the Ella T. Grasso
Ella T. Grasso
Ella Grasso , born Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, was an American politician, and first woman elected governor of Connecticut.-Biography:...
Distinguished Service Medal. Peters has been honored by numerous organizations. She was the recipient of the Judiciary Award of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers' Association, the Yale Law School Distinguished Service Medal, and the Hartford College for Women Pioneer Woman Award. In 2002, she was honored with the Warren E. Burger
Warren E. Burger
Warren Earl Burger was the 15th Chief Justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Although Burger had conservative leanings, the U.S...
Award from the National Center for State Courts.
Notable committee and board memberships of Peters include the Connecticut Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (1973-74), and the national Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices (1987). Peters became its first woman president in 1994. Justice Peters sat as Chief Justice from 1984 to 1996 when she elected to take senior status and continued to sit with the Court as needed until she turned 70 in 2000. Peters remains extremely active as a Judge Trial Referee designated to the Appellate Court in Hartford.
Notable Decisions
Sheff v. O'NeillSheff v. O'Neill
Sheff v. O'Neill refers to a 1989 lawsuit and the subsequent 1996 Connecticut Supreme Court case that resulted in a landmark decision regarding civil rights and the right to education.-Timeline:...
refers to a 1989 lawsuit and the subsequent 1996 Connecticut Supreme Court case (Sheff v. O'Neill, 238 Conn. 1, 678 A.2d 1267) that resulted in a landmark decision regarding civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and the right to education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. In 1996 the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the state had an affirmative obligation to provide Connecticut's school children with a substantially equal educational opportunity and that this constitutionally guaranteed right encompasses the access to a public education which is not substantially and materially impaired by racial and ethnic isolation. The Court further concluded that school districting based upon town and city boundary lines are unconstitutional, and cited a statute that bounds school districts by town lines as a key factor in the high concentrations of racial and ethnic minorities in Hartford. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P3-582143061.html This was a split 4-3 decision, which was authored by Chief Justice Peters. She was joined in the majority opinion by Justices Robert Berdon, Flemming L. Norcott, Jr.
Flemming L. Norcott, Jr.
Flemming L. Norcott, Jr. is an Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. He was appointed to the Connecticut Superior Court in 1979 and remained there until his elevation to the Connecticut Appellate Court in 1987. He was appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1992. He also serves...
, and Joette Katz
Joette Katz
Joette Katz is Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, and a former Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, where she also served as the administrative judge for the state appellate system....
. Justice David Borden authored the dissent, with Justices Robert Callahan and Richard Palmer
Richard N. Palmer
Justice Richard N. Palmer is an Associate Justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court. He was born on May 27, 1950 in Hartford, CT. He received his Bachelor of Arts Phi Beta Kappa, from Trinity College in Hartford in 1972...
concurring with the dissent.
Sources
- Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame http://www.cwhf.org/hall/peters/peters.htm
- Remarks by Justice Peters upon her retirement http://www.cslib.org/memorials/peterseretresig.htm
- Peters receives award from National Center for State Courts http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Comm/PressRelease/2002/Peters_2002.HTML