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The headline is wrong. The nitwit judge is a Conn. Superior Court judge, not a U.S. District Court judge, big difference.

The headline is wrong. The nitwit judge is a Conn. Superior Court judge, not a U.S. District Court judge, big difference.

This is an overseas news service, so they mean "US" in the sense that it's an American judge.

The judge is no nitwit. I knew her when she was a very fine trial attorney an my opponent in a normal civil action in which she represented an insurance company in a personal injury case. I also knew her and appeared before her in her early years as a judge. She is a very fine lady of impeccable reputation, very strong intellect, very firm principles personally but an open-minded judge. She is a practicing serious member of the Greek Orthodox Church and quite conservative as to social issues and religious values.

All Connecticut trial court judges are appointed by the governor from a list of potential judges containing only the names of those who have the support of both State Central Committee members of the Democrat and Republican parties in an arrangement that has worked well since the modern Connecticut court system was created in 1958. Haf the nominees (and judges) are Democrat and half are Republican by tradition. I don't know whether Barbara Bellis is a Democrat or a Republican.

Terms are for eight years and are not limited and the judge is seated only after the Connecticut Senate approves the nomination after a public hearing. This avoids judges running for election and making promises they ought not to make and raising campaign $$$$$ from corrupt interests and other abuses that come with elected judges. The judges appoint the prosecutors.

That a judge may make an occasional error (even an awful one like this) is not surprising but that alone does not make a judge a "nitwit." Barbara Bellis is a very fine lady, a very fine judge generally but no more infallible than any other person serving in Connecticut state government. Being wrong does not necessarily mean being either evil or incompetent.

Finally, this is probably a very preliminary ruling. Motions as to evidence in Connecticut are heard at a once a week "short calendar" (which is anything but short and more like a cattle call) at which the overworked judge of the week has to decide some of the most foolish matters you can imagine. The judges are paid quite well (six figures fifteen years ago) and other than trials and short calendar have a light load. Some political hacks unable to earn a decent living in the private sector are taken care of by political friends. Barbara Bellis is not one of them. She took a pay cut to serve.

Some other judge will likely hear the trial, if any, and, having heard the evidence, lay waste to the gun grabbers' case. Happens all the time. The real dangers in the Connecticut Judicial system are the Appellate Court and the State Supreme Court, both of which have been backed with leftist Demonrat hacks. That is why God and the Founding Fathers gave us SCOTUS which is now also a danger.