Prior to the
creation of the Supreme Court in 1784, the power to review lower court
rulings was vested in the General Assembly, which determined
appeals by examining trial court records. Even after its
creation,
 the
Supreme Court was not completely independent of the executive
and legislative branches, since its members included the
Lieutenant Governor, members of the Council (or upper chamber of
the General Assembly), and, in 1794, the Governor.
In 1806, the number of Superior Court judges was increased from
five to nine and those judges, sitting together, constituted the
Supreme Court, replacing the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and
Council Members. The General Assembly, however, retained the
power to overturn the court's rulings. Twelve years later, in
1818, the Connecticut Constitution established an independent
judiciary, with the Supreme Court of Errors as the state's
highest court. (The words "of Errors" were deleted in 1965). The
creation of an independent judiciary established the third
branch of government, which is responsible for interpreting the
laws enacted by the legislative branch of government.
In 1982, in
response to an overwhelming Supreme Court docket, Connecticut's voters
approved a constitutional amendment creating the intermediate
Appellate
Court. That court, which consists of nine judges, sits at
75 Elm
Street in Hartford.
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