Colm Felix Connolly (born October 18, 1964) is the Chief United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Delaware The United States District Court for the District of Delaware (in case citations, D. Del.) is the Federal district court having jurisdiction over the entire state of Delaware. The Court sits in Wilmington. Currently, four district judges and ...

. He formerly served as

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the District of Delaware.

Biography and career

Connolly was born on October 18, 1964, in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. He earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

, with honors, from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

, his

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

from the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a public university, public research university located in London, England and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidn ...

, and his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the

Duke University School of Law Duke University School of Law (Duke Law School or Duke Law) is the law school of Duke University, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law is a constituent academic unit t ...

." President Donald J. Trump Announces Ninth Wave of Judicial Nominees and Tenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees " White House, December 20, 2017
After graduating from law school, Connolly clerked for Judge Walter King Stapleton of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts: * District of Delaware * District of New Jersey * East ...

, and then spent seven years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Delaware. In 1994 and 1995, Connolly prosecuted the first federal criminal civil rights case in Delaware history. One of the defendants, Mark Hobbs, ultimately pled guilty to a civil rights conspiracy charge. The other defendant, Robert Hanulik, pled guilty to civil rights and firearms charges and was sentenced as an armed career criminal to 15 years imprisonment. Connolly later became known for leading the 18-month investigation into the 1996 disappearance of Anne Marie Fahey, the secretary to Delaware's governor, Tom Carper. Connolly worked alongside Wilmington Police Officer Robert Donovan and FBI Special Agent Eric Alpert. The investigation resulted in a first-degree murder charge against Thomas Capano. Connolly and Ferris Wharton prosecuted the case against Capano. The three-month trial began in November 1998, and despite the fact that the prosecution presented no evidence of a body or weapon and no witness to the killing, the jury returned a guilty verdict and recommended the death penalty. Connolly's cross-examination of Capano at trial culminated in a frustrated Capano standing up and shouting at Connolly, "You heartless, gutless, soulless disgrace of a human being!" and then being ejected from the courtroom by Judge William Swain Lee. The Capano case spawned four books and the made-for-television movie, ''And Never Let Her Go'' (2001), directed by

Peter Levin Peter Levin is an American director of film, television and theatre. Career Since 1967, Levin has amassed a large number of credits directing episodic television and television films. Some of his television series credits include '' Love Is ...

. Connolly was portrayed by Steven Eckholdt and made a cameo appearance in the movie. Mark Harmon portrayed Capano. Connolly left the U.S. Attorney's Office to become a partner at Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell in 1999. He then became the

for the District of Delaware in 2001 after being nominated by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. In 2009, Connolly left the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

to become a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where he worked until becoming a judge. At the U.S. Attorney's office, Connolly was succeeded by Charles M. Oberly III, with David C. Weiss serving as acting United States Attorney in the interim. Connolly is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Law Institute.

Federal judicial service

Expired district court nomination under George W. Bush

On February 26, 2008, Connolly was nominated by

to fill the

seat vacated by Kent A. Jordan in 2006, who was elevated to the

. Although Connolly received a unanimous well qualified rating from the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

, the

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations ...

did not afford him a hearing and therefore his nomination to the federal bench expired at the conclusion of the Senate's session in 2008. Senator

Tom Carper Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the senior United States senator from Delaware, having held the seat since 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, Carper served i ...

returned his

blue slip Blue slip or blue-slipping refers to two distinct legislative procedures in the United States Congress. In the House of Representatives, it is the rejection slip given to tax and spending bills sent to it by the Senate that did not originate in ...

in support of Connolly, but then-Senator Joe Biden did not.

Renomination to district court under Trump

In 2017, Senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper recommended that the White House nominate Connolly to the seat vacated by Sue Lewis Robinson, who assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

on February 3, 2017. On December 20, 2017, Connolly's renomination was announced and sent to the Senate. On February 14, 2018, a hearing on his nomination was held before the

. On March 15, 2018, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 20–1 vote. On August 1, 2018, his nomination was confirmed by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

. He received his judicial commission on August 3, 2018. He became Chief Judge on July 1, 2021.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Connolly, Colm 1964 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges Alumni of the London School of Economics Assistant United States Attorneys Delaware lawyers Duke University School of Law alumni George W. Bush administration personnel Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware People from Wilmington, Delaware United States Attorneys for the District of Delaware United States district court judges appointed by Donald Trump University of Notre Dame alumni