Community Corner
Cop, Prosecutor, Defense Attorney: Now Overseer of Judges [Video]
Greenwich resident Wayne Keeney says new state appointment is a perfect cap on his career.
Wayne R. Keeney, Gov. Dannel Malloy's nominee to head the state's Judicial Review Council, was approved for the job this week by the General Assembly.
The council, which is composed of lawyers, judges and citizens, investigates allegations of misconduct by judges, workers' compensation commissioners and family support magistrates.
Keeney, 62, was interviewed by Patch in his Bridgeport office, where he was asked to explain how the council operates, and how his background of having several careers qualifies him to be its chairman.
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The panel receives several hundred complaints a year, he said. It has the authority to suspend a judge for up to one year and can pass along recommendations to the state Supreme Court or the Legislature for further penalties, including removal from office. (In the case of a workers' compensation commissioner, recommendations are sent to the governor.)
Keeney emphasized that the panel does not have the power to overturn a judge's decision—which is the responsibilty of the appellate courts.
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A graduate of New York Law School, Keeney has been a New York City police officer, a Florida sheriff's deputy, and a city prosecutor in San Diego.
Besides being a member of the bar in Connecticut, he is admitted to practice law in California, and on the federal level, in the District of Connecticut, the Southern and Eastern districts of New York, and the Southern District of California.
He lives in Greenwich with his wife, Valerie Maze Keeney, the assistant town attorney.
