Trial Lawyer Wayne Keeney Named as State Family Court Magistrate

Criminal lawyer Wayne R. Keeney of Greenwich has been nominated to become a family support magistrate.

The nomination, which was among more than a dozen Malloy announced on Friday, including two for the Appellate Court, requires approval from the General Assembly.

Keeney is an attorney with the Law Offices of Wayne R. Keeney, LLC in Bridgeport, where he has served as the sole practitioner since 1996 specializing in criminal law. He also serves as chairman of the Connecticut Judicial Review Council.

He is a former New York City police officer and prosecutor for the City of San Diego.  He received his B.S. from St. Francis College and his J.D. from New York Law School.

“It has been a long, fascinating trip from being a NYPD foot patrolman in the South Bronx to this incredible honor,” Keeney said.  “I leave the practice of law, which I love, with reluctance but I look forward to the challenges of the bench.”

“In selecting judicial nominees and reviewing the pool of candidates, I look to choose individuals with the experience, temperament and skills to be thoughtful, reasoned and fair jurists,” Malloy said. “It is a careful, meticulous process because we want to ensure that the men and women who sit on our bench will serve our state with distinction, fairness, competence, ethics, and above all, respect for the people of Connecticut. I am pleased to nominate these two outstanding judges for elevation to the appellate bench, and proud to nominate these 16 outstanding attorneys for appointment to the Superior Court.”

The 16 Superior Court nominations will fill approximately 26 vacancies that currently exist on that court, with additional vacancies on the court anticipated later this year. Malloy said that he does not intend on filling the remaining vacancies at this time.