Minority and Women Judges held to different standards

Hartford Community Court Judge Charged With DUI

By CHRISTINE DEMPSEY
October 11, 2008

GLASTONBURY (Connecticut) — - The presiding judge of Hartford's community court was charged with driving under the influence Thursday night after her BMW struck a state police car parked at a construction zone, police said.

The accident involving Judge E. Curtissa R. Cofield, 59, of Heritage Drive in Glastonbury, happened about 10:50 p.m. on Route 2 east in the area of Exit 8. No one was injured, police said, and the damage was minor.

The cruiser was parked on the right shoulder of the highway when Cofield "drove into the construction pattern and subsequently struck Vehicle #1," according to a brief accident summary from the Troop H barracks in Hartford. Vehicle #1 is a 2005 Crown Victoria owned by the state and at the time occupied by Trooper Michael Kowal.

Cofield, who was first appointed to the bench in 1991, was not at work today, said judicial branch spokeswoman Rhonda Stearley-Hebert. She requested a transfer to a civil court because of the ongoing criminal case, and the request was approved by Judge Barbara M. Quinn, chief court administrator, Stearley-Hebert said.

Cofield's present term expires June 6, 2015.

The accident happened almost exactly a year after Cofield talked to students at Conard High School in West Hartford about the consequences of illegal drug and alcohol use. As a community court judge, Cofield deals with young people cited for under-aged drinking, driving under the influence and other infractions.

At the Oct. 12, 2007, talk, Cofield urged the students to exercise good judgment to keep themselves, their friends and their families out of trouble.

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The Judge system in the US is still a "White Boy" club. A federal judge and relative to George W. Bush ran down and killed a New Haven Connecticut police officer. The officer was blamed for not being "reflective enough", and the judge was not arrested, was not alcohol and drug tested, and justice does not exist. [more]