Superior Court Judge John R. Downey, Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s nominee for the Appellate Court, withdrew his name from consideration last week after court transcripts showed he mistakenly claimed only legal residents can use the court system.
The withdrawal also came a day after Downey was questioned by lawmakers on those remarks as well as comments he made during a court proceeding praising longtime segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond.
Downey, in a letter to the leaders of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee, “apologized for any misunderstanding” and said his views on the illegal immigration issue “have evolved.”
“I would like to state unequivocally that it is my position that all people have the right to access our courts to seek redress for legal injury,” he wrote.
Downey, 56, of Redding, referred to Thurmond as a “great American” in 2003, the day after the Republican senator’s death. He told the Judiciary Committee it was a mistake to make the remarks in the courtroom.
“I agree that it was not the right forum for such comments. I wouldn’t do it again and I apologize for that,” he said.
He explained that he was moved by the death of a man that had helped him while Downey was a law student at the University of South Carolina.
