Connecticut’s top public defender denies misconduct claims as commission debates firing her

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s top public defender fought to keep her job Tuesday as an oversight commission began considering whether to fire her for a range of alleged misconduct, including hurling unfounded accusations of racism against people who disagreed with her and improperly accessing the emails of staff and the commission chairman.

With dozens of supporters in tow including many wearing red, TaShun Bowden-Lewis and her lawyer appeared at a hearing before the state Public Defender Services Commission and denied 16 misconduct allegations lodged against her by the panel after an independent investigation.

After more than four hours, the commission Tuesday evening deferred a decision on possible discipline to allow Bowden-Lewis and her attorney, Thomas Bucci, to decide whether they want to call and question witnesses. The date of the next hearing was not immediately set.

Bowden-Lewis, 51, the first Black person to serve as the state’s chief public defender, also suggested during sometimes contentious questioning that she was being treated differently than her predecessors.

“I was appointed in June 2022 to be the head and not the tail,” she told the commission. “As chief, I am here to make decisions. Some decisions may not be popular, but they still must be made.”

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