Editing Connecticut (section)

==Law and government==

{{Main|Law of Connecticut|Administrative divisions of Connecticut}}
{{ct law}}
[[File:Connecticut State Capitol, February 24, 2008.jpg|right|upright=1.15|thumb|The [[Connecticut State Capitol]] in downtown Hartford]]

[[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] has been the sole capital of Connecticut since 1875. Before then, [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] and Hartford alternated as dual capitals.<ref name="AboutCT"/>

===Constitutional history===

{{Main|History of the Connecticut Constitution}}

Connecticut is known as the "Constitution State". The origin of this nickname is uncertain, but it likely comes from Connecticut's pivotal role in the federal constitutional convention of 1787, during which [[Roger Sherman]] and [[Oliver Ellsworth]] helped to orchestrate what became known as the [[Connecticut Compromise]], or the Great Compromise. This plan combined the [[Virginia Plan]] and the [[New Jersey Plan]] to form a bicameral legislature, a form copied by almost every state constitution since the adoption of the federal constitution. Variations of the bicameral legislature had been proposed by Virginia and New Jersey, but Connecticut's plan was the one that was in effect until the early 20th century, when Senators ceased to be selected by their state legislatures and were instead directly elected. Otherwise, it is still the design of Congress.

The nickname also might refer to the [[Fundamental Orders of Connecticut|Fundamental Orders]] of 1638–39. These Fundamental Orders represent the framework for the first formal Connecticut state government written by a representative body in Connecticut. The State of Connecticut government has operated under the direction of four separate documents in the course of the state's [[History of the Connecticut Constitution|constitutional history]]. After the Fundamental Orders, Connecticut was granted governmental authority by King [[Charles II of England]] through the Connecticut Charter of 1662.

Separate branches of government did not exist during this period, and the General Assembly acted as the supreme authority. A constitution similar to the modern [[U.S. Constitution]] was not adopted in Connecticut until 1818. Finally, the current state constitution was implemented in 1965. The 1965 constitution absorbed a majority of its 1818 predecessor, but incorporated a handful of important modifications.

===Executive===

The governor heads the executive branch. {{As of|2020}}, [[Ned Lamont]] is the [[List of Governors of Connecticut|Governor]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://portal.ct.gov/Departments_and_Agencies/Office_of_the_Governor/About/Governor_Malloy_s_Biography/ | title=Governor Malloy's Biography | publisher=State of Connecticut | website=Portal.CT.gov | access-date=October 25, 2015 | archive-date=September 14, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914080022/http://portal.ct.gov/Departments_and_Agencies/Office_of_the_Governor/About/Governor_Malloy_s_Biography/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Susan Bysiewicz]] is the [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut|Lieutenant Governor]];<ref>{{cite web | url=http://portal.ct.gov/Departments_and_Agencies/Office_of_the_Lieutenant_Governor/About/Lt__Governor_s_Biography/ | title=Lt. Governor's Biography | publisher=State of Connecticut | website=Portal.CT.gov | access-date=October 25, 2015 | archive-date=November 26, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126071856/http://portal.ct.gov/Departments_and_Agencies/Office_of_the_Lieutenant_Governor/About/Lt__Governor_s_Biography/ | url-status=live }}</ref> both are Democrats. From 1639 until the adoption of the 1818 constitution, the governor presided over the General Assembly. In 1974, [[Ella Grasso]] was elected as the governor of Connecticut. This was the first time in United States history when a woman was a governor without her husband being governor first.<ref name=Pumont/>

There are several executive departments: Administrative Services, Agriculture, Banking, Children and Families, Consumer Protection, Correction, Economic and Community Development, [[Connecticut Department of Developmental Services|Developmental Services]], Construction Services, Education, Emergency Management and Public Protection, Energy & Environmental Protection, Higher Education, Insurance, Labor, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Military, Motor Vehicles, Public Health, Public Utility Regulatory Authority, Public Works, Revenue Services, Social Services, [[Connecticut Department of Transportation|Transportation]], and Veterans Affairs. In addition to these departments, there are other independent bureaus, offices and commissions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portal.ct.gov/Department-and-Agencies/ |title=Departments and Agencies |website=Portal.CT.gov |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-date=October 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007042027/http://portal.ct.gov/Department-and-Agencies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition to the governor and lieutenant governor, there are four other executive officers named in the state constitution that are elected directly by voters: secretary of the state, treasurer, comptroller, and attorney general. All executive officers are elected to four-year terms.<ref name="AboutCT"/>

===Legislative===

Connecticut's legislative branch is known as the [[Connecticut General Assembly|General Assembly]]. It is a [[bicameral]] legislature consisting of an upper body, the [[Connecticut Senate|State Senate]] (36 senators); and a lower body, the [[Connecticut House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] (151 representatives).<ref name="AboutCT"/> Bills must pass each house in order to become law. The governor can veto bills, but this veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority in both houses. Per Article XV of the state constitution, Senators and Representatives must be at least 18 years of age and are elected to two-year terms in November on even-numbered years. There also must always be between 30 and 50 senators and 125 to 225 representatives. The Lieutenant Governor presides over the Senate, except when absent from the chamber, when the [[Presidents pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate|President pro tempore]] presides. The [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker of the House]] presides over the House.<ref name="CT_CONST">{{cite web |title=Constitution of the State of Connecticut |website=Secretary of the State |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?A=3188&Q=392288 |date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109004649/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392288 |archive-date=November 9, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> {{As of|2021}}, [[Matthew Ritter]] is the Speaker of the House of Connecticut.

{{As of|2021}}, Connecticut's [[United States Senators]] are [[Richard Blumenthal]] (Democrat) and [[Chris Murphy]] (Democrat).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.senate.gov/states/CT/intro.htm | title=Connecticut | publisher=U.S. Senate | website=States in the Senate | access-date=October 25, 2015 | archive-date=October 15, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015043134/http://www.senate.gov/states/CT/intro.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> Connecticut has five [[U.S. Congressional Delegations from Connecticut|representatives in the U.S. House]], all of whom are Democrats.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_ct | title=Connecticut | publisher=U.S. House of Representatives | website=Directory of Representatives | access-date=October 25, 2015 | archive-date=October 24, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024082758/http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_ct | url-status=live }}</ref>

Locally elected representatives also develop [[local ordinance]]s to govern cities and towns.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/ordinances.htm |title=Connecticut Ordinances and Charters by Town |website=Judicial Branch Law Libraries |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=June 10, 2013 |archive-date=December 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121211113745/http://www.jud.ct.gov/LawLib/ordinances.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The town ordinances often include [[noise pollution#Humans|noise control]] and [[zoning]] guidelines.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_Police/Ord%20Folder/Ordinances/262 |title=Newtown Noise Control Ordinance |website=Town of Newtown |date=August 20, 2010 |access-date=June 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511122630/http://www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_Police/Ord%20Folder/Ordinances/262 |archive-date=May 11, 2013 }}</ref> However, the State of Connecticut also provides statewide ordinances for noise control as well.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sec. 22a-69-1 to 22a-69-7.4: Control of Noise |website=Department of Environmental Protection |publisher=State of Connecticut |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/regulations/title_22a/069.pdf |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231223637/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/regulations/title_22a/069.pdf |archive-date=December 31, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Judicial===

The highest [[court]] of Connecticut's judicial branch is the [[Connecticut Supreme Court]], headed by the Chief Justice of Connecticut. The Supreme Court is responsible for deciding on the constitutionality of laws, or cases as they relate to the law. Its proceedings are similar to those of the United States Supreme Court: no testimony is given by witnesses, and the lawyers of the two sides each present oral arguments no longer than thirty minutes. Following a court proceeding, the court may take several months to arrive at a judgment. {{As of|2020}}, the [[Chief Justice]] is [[Richard A. Robinson]].

In 1818, the court became a separate entity, independent of the legislative and executive branches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jud.state.ct.us/ystday/history.html |title=About Connecticut Courts: History of the Courts |website=Judicial Branch |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=February 20, 2007 |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117052828/http://www.jud.state.ct.us/ystday/history.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Connecticut Appellate Court]] is a lesser statewide court, and the Superior Courts are lower courts that resemble county courts of other states.

===Local government===
{{Main|Local government in Connecticut}}
{{See also|List of counties in Connecticut|Councils of governments in Connecticut|List of municipalities in Connecticut|Borough (Connecticut)}}
[[File:Planning Regions of Connecticut.png|thumb|Planning Regions of Connecticut]]

Connecticut does not have [[County (United States)|county]] government, unlike all other states except [[Rhode Island]]. Connecticut county governments were mostly eliminated in 1960, with the exception of [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriffs]] elected in each county.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392376 |website=State Register and Manual |publisher=State of Connecticut |title=Section VI: Counties |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906001437/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392376 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2000, the county sheriff was abolished and replaced with the [[Connecticut State Marshal|state marshal]] system, which has districts that follow the old county territories. The judicial system is divided into judicial districts at the trial-court level which largely follow the old county lines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jud.ct.gov/directory/directory/location/Default.htm |title=Judicial District Courts Staff Directory |website=State of Connecticut Judicial Branch |access-date=July 25, 2010 |archive-date=August 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812060541/http://www.jud.ct.gov/directory/directory/location/Default.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[list of Connecticut counties|eight counties]] are still widely used for purely geographical and statistical purposes, such as [[Weather forecasting|weather reports]] and census reporting, although the latter will cease using the counties in 2024.

The state is divided into nine regional [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|councils of government]] defined by the state Office of Planning and Management, which facilitate regional planning and coordination of services between member towns.<ref name="OPM-2">{{Cite web|url = http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?q=383046|title = Regional Councils of Governments (RCOGs) in Connecticut|date = 2015|access-date = September 15, 2015|website = CT.gov|publisher = Office of Policy and Management|archive-date = September 17, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150917200410/http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?q=383046|url-status = live}}</ref><!--, with the exception of the Town of Stafford in Tolland County.<ref name="OPM">{{cite web |url=http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?a=2985&q=383124 |title=Regional Planning Coordination |website=Office of Policy and Management |publisher=State of Connecticut |access-date=July 25, 2010}}</ref>--> The Intragovernmental Policy Division of this Office coordinates regional planning with the administrative bodies of these regions. Each region has an administrative body made up chief executive officers of the member towns. The regions are established for the purpose of planning "coordination of regional and state planning activities; redesignation of logical planning regions and promotion of the continuation of regional planning organizations within the state; and provision for technical aid and the administration of financial assistance to regional planning organizations".<ref name="OPM-2"/> By 2015, the State of Connecticut recognized COGs as [[county equivalent]]s, allowing them to apply for funding and grants made available to county governments in other states. In 2019 the state recommended to the [[United States Census Bureau]] that the nine Councils of Governments replace its counties for statistical purposes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Proposed Change to County Equivalents in Connecticut|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/reference/ct_county_equiv_change.pdf|website=US Census Bureau}}</ref> This proposal was approved by the Census Bureau in 2022, and will be fully implemented by 2024.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2022/06-2022/Governor-Lamont-Announces-Census-Bureau-Approves-Proposal-for-Planning-Regions |title=Governor Lamont Announces U.S. Census Bureau Approves Proposal for Connecticut's Planning Regions To Become County Equivalents |publisher=The Office of Governor Ned Lamont |date=June 6, 2022 |access-date=March 24, 2023}}</ref>

Connecticut shares with the rest of [[New England]] a governmental institution called the [[New England town]]. The state is divided into 169 towns which serve as the fundamental political jurisdictions.<ref name="AboutCT"/> There are also 21 cities,<ref name="AboutCT"/> most of which simply follow the boundaries of their namesake towns and have a merged city-town government. There are two exceptions: the [[Groton (city), Connecticut|City of Groton]], which is a subsection of the [[Groton (town), Connecticut|Town of Groton]], and the City of [[Winsted, Connecticut|Winsted]] in the Town of [[Winchester, Connecticut|Winchester]]. There are also nine incorporated [[Borough (Connecticut)|boroughs]] which may provide additional services to a section of town.<ref name="AboutCT"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Town Elections, Boroughs in Connecticut with Date of Incorporation |website=Secretary of the State |publisher=State of Connecticut |date=June 19, 2013 |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392430#CITIES_IN_CONNECTICUT_WITH_DATE_OF_INCORPORATION |access-date=October 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908155417/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392430#CITIES_IN_CONNECTICUT_WITH_DATE_OF_INCORPORATION |archive-date=September 8, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Naugatuck]] is a consolidated town and borough.