The mission of the Connecticut Judicial Branch is to serve the interests of justice and the public by resolving matters brought before it in a fair, timely, efficient and open manner.
Did You Know?

New Laws on Selected Topics

   by Roy, Christopher

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=5139

The Office of Legislative Research has a web page with reports summarizing new laws on selected topics. Below are links to the 2022 reports:

Doses of Connecticut Legal History: Witches and Witchcraft

   by Townsend, Karen

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=4436

One of our Doses of Connecticut Legal History, has been revised and updated. Witches and Witchcraft- The First Person Executed in the Colonies covers witchcraft trials in Connecticut, including the first person to be executed for witchcraft in America. The dose contains an update on steps taking in Connecticut to exonerate victims of witchcraft accusations.

Writing A Motion

   by Dowd, Jeffrey

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=4199

A new video has been added to the Self-Represented Parties Information Series. The new video is a slidecast on Writing a Motion. This video provides a general overview to writing a motion: how to format the document, how to try and find sample language , and how to write the text if you are not able to find sample language. This is designed to help those who need to draft their own motions for motions that do not preexist as either an official court form or one of our templates.

Legal Research from Home

   by Booth, George

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=4173

Did you know that you can get access to the State Library’s Fastcase legal database from home or office?

Go to the Connecticut State Library website. From there you can:

Fastcase includes primary law from all 50 states as well as treatise libraries on elder law, employment law, estate planning, evidence law, family law, insurance law, personal injury law, real estate law, remedies, and more.

Also, see our earlier post on additional free legal research tools that you can access from home.

Accessing Legal Research Information from Home

   by Roy, Christopher

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=3929

The Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Libraries' website makes available two useful reference cards that link you to freely available online legal research resources:

Included in the Connecticut reference card are some of the most used resources, including:

We also make available Law by Subject pages to help you get started with your research and Legal Research Guides for more in-depth research on particular topics. For other general or legal research questions, we can be reached by email at lawlibrarians@jud.ct.gov.

CT Department of Revenue Services Webpage on Plastic Bag Law Effective August 1, 2019

   by Zigadto, Janet

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=3601

The Connecticut Department of Revenue Services has posted a helpful webpage explaining the new law on single-use plastic bags effective August 1, 2019. It contains definitions and detailed explanation of the new law created by Public Act 19-117, section 355. The DRS has also compiled a list of questions it has received concerning implementation of the single-use bag fee, and has issued an Office of the Commissioner Guidance Regarding the Single-Use Plastic Bag Fee. The Department of Revenue Services (DRS) will update this guidance as it receives additional questions.

Connecticut Law about Election Law

   by Mazur, Catherine

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=3247

With Election Day tomorrow, November 6th, did you know that the Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Libraries have a web page on Connecticut Election Law? The page brings together high-quality, authoritative information on the topic, including links to the Connecticut Secretary of State's website, Office of Legislative Research reports, and selected relevant statutes and regulations.

The CT Secretary of State's website also has resources available specifically for the November 6th election: General Election List of Candidates, List of Write-in Candidates, Sample Ballots, and the language of the proposed Constitutional Amendments in both English (Question 1 and Question 2) and Español (Pregunta 1 y Pregunta 2).

The Law Libraries have over 100 Law by Subject pages, covering a wide variety of Connecticut legal topics.

Audio Recordings of Court Proceedings Now Available for Purchase

   by Mazur, Catherine

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=3240

From the official notice on the Judicial Branch's homepage:

Effective Nov. 1, 2018, audio recordings of Judicial Branch proceedings that occur on or after Nov. 1, 2018, and are publicly disclosable will be available for purchase at a cost of $20 per day per docket number. The rules and procedures governing access to court transcripts will govern access to audio recording.

There is additional information available about this new program in the policy and procedures regarding purchasing audio recordings.

Second Reminder: Online Research Tools Available at the Judicial Branch Law Libraries

   by Dowd, Jeffrey

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=3224

The Law Librarians will be presenting a program called, "Online Legal Research Tools available at the Judicial Branch Law Libraries," on October 29th from 1:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. at 20 Park Street, Rockville, CT.

To RSVP and for more info, visit: .

Connecticut Superior Court Civil Procedures

   by Mazur, Catherine

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=3222

Did you know the Connecticut Judicial Branch provides general procedural information on certain civil matters, such as filing a Civil Foreign Judgment, Prejudgment Remedy, and Replevin, on their Civil Procedures page? These procedures include a basic outline of the steps necessary to file the action, statutory and rule references, and links to forms, if applicable.

All posted information has been updated as of July 2018. Please note that the information is provided by the Connecticut Judicial Branch as a public service, and is not intended to be legal advice (Disclaimer).

Searching the NewsLog for Recent Case Law

   by Roy, Christopher

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=3195

Did you know that you can quickly find recent Connecticut Appellate and Supreme Court case law by searching our NewsLog? The search box is located in the upper-right corner of the blog. For example, let's say you wanted to research recent case law concerning a notice to quit in a summary process action. A search for notice to quit returns three results. Because only the primary issues are included in each NewsLog post, it becomes an efficient way to find case law without the noise of a full-text search. The current iteration of the NewsLog contains cases from July 2016 forward, although older cases for some subjects are included.

NewsLog Screenshot

Keep in mind that you can browse to specific subjects and find case law that way as well. In fact, you can choose a subject and then do a search, limiting your possible results to posts tagged with that specific subject.

Law Libraries Offer New Chat Service

   by Dowd, Jeffrey

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=854

The Connecticut Judicial Branch Law Libraries now offer a Live Chat service on Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and on Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Look for our chat button on either our landing page http://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib or our contact page http://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/contactus.htm.

Compiled Connecticut Legislative Histories

   by Mazur, Catherine

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=840

Did you know that the Connecticut State Library's Law and Legislative Reference Services maintains a database of previously compiled legislative histories?

The database is located at the bottom of their informational page on Legislative History, and is searchable by Public Act number (e.g. 11-200). The histories include the necessary information for citation, including page numbers.

While it is comprehensive for recent legislative histories from 2009-present, only previously ordered histories from before 2009 are included. If you need a legislative history that hasn't been compiled, you can either contact the State Library to order one, or visit the library to compile it yourself.

Our twelve libraries located throughout the state also have legislative histories on microfiche from 1980-2013. As another option, we have a guide on How to Compile a Legislative History online, but please be aware this method will not include official pagination.

Connecticut eLicense verification tool

   by Mazur, Catherine

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=471

The Connecticut eLicense web portal is an online database that allows you to verify professional licenses issued by certain Connecticut state agencies: Department of Consumer Protection, Department of Public Health, Department of Agriculture, OEC Child Care & Youth Camp Licensing, and CAES Department of Entomology.

If you need guidance on how to use the portal, the Department of Consumer Protection has created step-by-step instructions, as well as a short video that shows you how to perform a lookup. They also offer a useful discussion on the Difference Between a License, Registration, and Permit.

And for more information on which state agency is (or isn't) responsible for a profession's licensing and regulation, see the DCP's comprehensive A-Z Information Index.

Law Library Research Guides: Civil Procedure

   by Booth, George

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=378

The Judicial Branch law librarians author and update a number of research guides on various legal topics (family law, juvenile law, property law) in addition to the following selections on civil procedure and motion practice:

You can find more civil matters research guides along with our complete collection on our Research Guides webpage.

Family Forms Grouped by Case Type

   by Roy, Christopher

 https://jud.ct.gov/lawlib/LawLibNews/Posts/Post.aspx?Id=339

Did you know that the Judicial Branch posts general filing instructions for some of the most common family law case types on its Forms page?

Brief instructions on the following topics are available by clicking on Family Forms Grouped by Case Type:

The instructions provide general information and are not intended to be comprehensive.

See Also: Guidelines on Common Civil Procedures (posted Nov. 16, 2016)


1 2 Next Last