DOES CHIEF JUSTICE CHASE T. ROGERS AS A MEMBER OF THE STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE OBSTRUCT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ADA!

It has come to my attention recently that Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers is a member of the State Justice Institute, see the definition below.  Many advocates have speculated that Chief Justice Rogers has used her position there to obstruct litigants from obtaining relief under the ADA and Section 504 on the federal level.  See her involvement below:

State Justice Institute

The State Justice Institute (SJI) was established by federal law in 1984 to award grants to improve the quality of justice in state courts, facilitate better coordination between state and federal courts, and foster innovative, efficient solutions to common issues faced by all courts.

CHIEF JUSTICE CHASE ROGERS' BIOGRAPHY

Chief Justice Chase Rogers has been the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court since 2007. Prior to that, she served as a judge in the Connecticut Appellate Court from 2006 to 2007, and as a judge in the Connecticut Superior Court from 1998 to 2006. Prior to becoming a judge, she was a partner at Cummings & Lockwood in Stamford, Connecticut, where she focused on employment law and commercial litigation. She served on the Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) from 2008 to 2011. She has been a member of the Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 2012 to 2015; member of the National Center for State Courts Expanding Court Access to Justice Project Advisory Committee from 2012 to present; member of the Conference of Chief Justices Civil Justice Initiative Committee from 2014 to present; member of the Connecticut Bar Foundation Nominating Committee from 2007 to present; Ex Officio Member, American Law Institute; and Ex Officio Director, Connecticut Bar Foundation. Chief Justice Rogers was appointed to the SJI Board of Directors in 2010. She has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law from 2012 to present. She has received an Honorary degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law in 2010 and an Honorary degree from the University of Hartford in 2011. She received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law, and B.A. from Stanford University.

Chief Justice Rogers currently serves on the State Justice Institute’s Board of Directors. She was appointed to this position in December of 2010 by President Barack Obama, with the advice and consent of the Senate. In October of 2012, Chief Justice Rogers was appointed a member of the Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction of the Judicial Conference of the United States. She was appointed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. of the United States Supreme Court, and will serve a three year term. She is currently a member of the National Center for State Courts Expanding Court Access to Justice Project Advisory Committee, the Conference of Chief Justices Civil Justice Initiative Committee and the Connecticut Bar Foundation Fellows Nominating Committee, an ex officio member of the Commission on Official Legal Publications, an ex officio member of the American Law Institute and an ex-officio Director of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. Chief Justice Rogers previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Conference of Chief Justices, the Detention Crowding Oversight Committee, and as a Faculty Member of the Connecticut Judge’s Institute.