Connecticut’s top public defender could be fired as panel mulls punishment for alleged misconduct
By DAVE COLLINS
Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s top public defender faces the possibility of being fired as an oversight panel decides a possible punishment for what it calls serious misconduct. The state Public Defender Services Commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday but says it won’t announce a decision until next month. The panel accuses Chief Public Defender TaShun Bowden-Lewis of 16 misconduct allegations including leveling unfounded racism and discrimination claims against those who disagree with her and improperly accessing the emails of legal staff and the commission chairman. Bowden-Lewis is Connecticut’s first Black chief public defender. She denies all the allegations and says she has been micromanaged and scrutinized more than her predecessors.