Thomas MacMillan File Photo
New Haven’s Victor Bolden’s federal judgeship squeaked through the lame-duck U.S. Senate Thursday, ending a five-month, fingers-crossed odyssey.
President Obama nominated Bolden (pictured), New Haven’s corporation counsel, to a U.S. District Court judge position on June 13.
Bolden, a Harvard Law School and Columbia University grad, skated through a July 29 Senate confirmation hearing. Then partisan politics reared its head at a September Senate Judiciary Committee vote on his nomination: His nomination was barely approved, 10 – 8, on a party-line vote. Republicans, who voted against him, criticized him for a 24-year-old law review article he wrote and for publicly disagreeing with a Supreme Court decision that struck down parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Since then, Republicans won control of the Senate in the Nov. 4 elections. However, the new majority doesn’t take office until the new year. Democrats succeeded in getting a vote on Bolden’s nomination Thursday, and he was approved — on another tight vote, 49 – 46..
Connecticut’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, who championed Bolden’s nomination, released this statement after the vote: “Victor Bolden has dedicated his legal career to public service, and we are pleased that today the Senate confirmed him to be a United States District Court Judge. A thoughtful, skilled lawyer, Victor Bolden has fought to protect the rights of Connecticut residents and served his community. As lawyer for the City of New Haven, he has had to listen to and balance competing concerns. And he has done so with an open mind, a friendly demeanor, and rock solid respect for the letter and the spirit of the law. Victor Bolden is an individual of great character, and we know that he will be a fair and honorable judge.”
“Victor Bolden’s exemplary legal career and distinguished public service will now continue as a federal judge and rightly so – I can think of no one better qualified or more deserving of this appointment,” Mayor Toni Harp chimed in.
Bolden (pictured above) has served New Haven city government as corporation counsel since 2009. Before that, he worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. He served as general counsel from 2005 to 2009 and assistant counsel from 1994 to 2000, according to a White House press release. From 2000 to 2005, Bolden worked at the New Haven-based law firm Wiggin & Dana, doing commercial litigation. He began his legal career at the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation in 1989. Bolden got a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1989 and an B.A. from Columbia University in 1986.
As corporation counsel, Bolden calmly oversaw matters of great controversy, including the Ricci v. DeStefano reverse discrimination lawsuit, which landed in the U.S. Supreme Court. Bolden settled the case with disgruntled firefighters after justices ruled in their favor.
In City Hall, Bolden boosted morale by bringing cake to staffers every Friday.