Connecticut’s top public defender is facing the possibility of being fired as an oversight panel is expected to decide a punishment for what it calls serious misconduct. The state Public Defender Services Commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon and issue a decision.
FILE - Connecticut Chief Public Defender Tashun Bowden-Lewis chats with supporters before a hearing at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Conn. on April 16, 2024. Bowden-Lewis is facing the possibility of being fired Tuesday, May 21, 2024, when an oversight panel is expected to decide a punishment for what it calls serious misconduct. HARTFORD, Conn.
Bowden-Lewis, the state’s first Black chief public defender who has held the post for less than two years, says she has been micromanaged and scrutinized more than her predecessors. She denies all of the misconduct allegations lodged against her by the Public Defender Services Commission. Bowden-Lewis has said the commission has unduly questioned the authority she has under state law and regulations as she sought to improve public defender services. She said she has aimed to create awareness about injustice and “shake the foundation of the criminal justice system” to include more diversity, equity and inclusion.
in February, the same day the public defenders’ union voted 121-9 to express no confidence in her leadership. The reprimand included nine directives to Bowden-Lewis, some of which she failed to follow, the panel said.
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