Flemming L. Norcott Jr. (born October 11, 1943) is a former 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 as Associate Fellow of Calhoun College at Yale University, as well as a lecturer. Justice Norcott received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1965 and a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School in 1968. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut.

Notable Decisions

Sheff v. O'Neill ''Sheff v. O'Neill'' 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. A judge f ...

is a landmark 1996 Connecticut Supreme Court decision regarding civil rights and the right to education. The 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. This was a split 4-3 decision, which was authored by Chief Justice

Ellen Ash Peters Ellen Ash Peters (born March 21, 1930 in Berlin) is an American lawyer and judge. She was appointed to the Connecticut Supreme Court in 1978. She was the first woman appointed to that court. Early life and education Ellen Ash was born in Berlin ...

. She was joined in the majority opinion by Justices Robert Berdon, Norcott, and

Joette Katz Joette Katz (born February 3, 1953) is an American attorney who is a partner at the law firm, Shipman & Goodwin LL She was an associate justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, where she also served as the administrative judge for the state ap ...

. Justice David Borden authored the dissent, with Justices Robert Callahan and Richard Palmer concurring with the dissent. Justice Norcott authored the majority opinion in the controversial 2004 ''

Kelo v. New London ''Kelo v. City of New London'', 545 U.S. 469 (2005), was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court held, 5–4, that the use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another private own ...

'' case related to eminent domain. He was joined by Justices David Borden, Richard Palmer and

Christine Vertefeuille Christine S. Vertefeuille (born December 10, 1950) is a Senior Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Life She is a Connecticut native, born in New Britain, Connecticut. She graduated from Trinity College with a Bachelor of Arts in Politic ...

. The dissent was written by Justice

Peter T. Zarella Peter T. Zarella (born October 13, 1949) is a former Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Zarella sat on the court he was appointed by Governor John G. Rowland in January 2001 until his retirement on December 31, 2016. Early life, ...

and joined by Chief Justice

William J. Sullivan William J. Sullivan (March 12, 1939 – June 6, 2022) was an American judge trial referee of the Connecticut Superior Court. He served as chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. He was appointed to the Connecticut Appellate Court by Gov. J ...

and Justice

. The majority opinion was subsequently upheld by the United States Supreme Court. On October 10, 2008, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in ''

Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health ''Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health'', 289 Conn. 135, 957 A.2d 407, is a 2008 decision by the Connecticut Supreme Court holding that allowing same-sex couples to form same-sex unions but not marriages violates the Connecticut Constitution ...

'' that gay and lesbian couples could not be denied the right to marry because of the Equal Protection Clause of the state constitution. This decision made Connecticut the third state (along with Massachusetts and California) to legalize same-sex marriage through judicial decree of the state supreme court. The majority opinion was written by Justice Richard N. Palmer, and joined by Justices Norcott,

, and Judge

Lubbie Harper Jr. Lubbie Harper Jr. (born 1942) is an American lawyer and judge who was the third African American to become a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, serving from 2011 through 2012. While seconded to the court in 2008, he cast the deciding vote ...

; Justices

Christine S. Vertefeuille Christine S. Vertefeuille (born December 10, 1950) is a Senior Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Life She is a Connecticut native, born in New Britain, Connecticut. She graduated from Trinity College with a Bachelor of Arts in Politic ...

, and David Borden dissented. Most recently, Justice Norcott wrote the Court's opinion in Bysiewicz v. DiNardo, holding that Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz did not fulfill the statutory prerequisite of 10 years of service as an attorney to run for Attorney General.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norcott Jr., Flemming L. 1943 births Living people Lawyers from New Haven, Connecticut Taft School alumni Columbia Law School alumni Yale University faculty African-American judges Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court Columbia College (New York) alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people