John T. Downey

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John T. Downey

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Prior offices

New Haven District Superior Court

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Education

Bachelor's

Yale University, 1951

Law

Harvard Law School, 1973

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John T. Downey was a part-time judge trial referee on the New Haven District Superior Court in Connecticut. He served in this office from 1997 until his death on November 17, 2014.

Education

Downey received his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1951 and his J.D. degree from the Harvard Law School in 1973.

Career

Downey was appointed to the Connecticut Superior Court by former Governor William O'Neill in 1987 and served as the chief administrative judge for juvenile matters from 1990 until his retirement from the court in 1997. He then served as a part-time judge trial referee. Before his legal career, Downey served as a CIA operative straight out of college in 1951. In November 1951, Downey's plane was shot down during his first operational mission in China. He spent the next 20 years in a Chinese prison camp, eventually being released in March 1973. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School 3 years later.

Awards and associations

• 2013: Distinguished Intelligence Cross, Central Intelligence Agency

See also

• Courts in Connecticut
• Connecticut counties
• Judicial selection in Connecticut

External links

• Central Intelligence Agency, "Two CIA Prisoners in China, 1952–73, Extraordinary Fidelity," November 4, 2006
• State of Connecticut Judicial Branch

Footnotes

Connecticut courts

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Federal courts:

Second Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Connecticut • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Connecticut

State courts:

Connecticut Supreme Court • Connecticut Appellate Court • Connecticut Superior Court • Connecticut Probate Courts

State resources:

Courts in Connecticut • Connecticut judicial elections • Judicial selection in Connecticut