The following feature story appeared in the campus publication MOSAIC in October, 2000.

Protecting rights through the courts

For many, the advent of the Civil Rights era was a time of awakening and reckoning. For one young girl growing up in Connecticut, it prompted a prophetic declaration.

"The 1960s made me believe very fervently in protecting people’s rights," says Trinity alumna Christine S. Vertefeuille, who graduated from the College in 1972 with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. "It seemed to me that the courts were the place where people’s rights would be protected, and that’s where I decided I was going to be." So it was that the events occurring in the South would spur the New Britain, CT, native to announce when she was 12 years old that she hoped to become a judge. Her parents, neither of whom had been to college, chalked the statement up to a child’s far-reaching but unrealistic ambition. That she attained her goal came as a surprise to them. In fact, Vertefeuille even surprised herself.

Today, she is among Connecticut’s most senior judges, serving with just six others as a state Supreme Court justice. Appointed this year by Governor John G. Rowland, Vertefeuille concedes that her selection was beyond even her expectations. She adds, however, that her tendency to reach beyond what she believes possible is a characteristic nurtured during her undergraduate years at Trinity.

Eye-opening internship
With her sights firmly fixed on her dreams, Vertefeuille, then Christine Siegrist, enrolled at Trinity and found the College’s location in the state’s capital the perfect address for learning about laws and legislature. "At the time I attended Trinity, the College was very connected to its urban surroundings," said Vertefeuille. "I see many parallels between Trinity today and my experience there in the ‘60s and early ‘70s. I am happy to see the College’s renewed interest in enhancing its connections to the city."

In her senior year, Vertefeuille took advantage of the College’s Legislative Internship Program, a special program designed for students who want a firsthand opportunity to observe politics and government. Vertefeuille worked for then-second term state senator Joseph Lieberman, now candidate for the vice presidency and running mate to Al Gore. She also participated in a seminar where she discussed issues related to the legislative process. "Those experiences really capped my political science major. I had been studying the theory, and then I practiced the reality." Courses she took on urban affairs and public policy further impressed upon her how a city’s strengths or weaknesses could create or influence legal issues. Two of her professors, Gary Jacobson, a former professor of political science, and Samuel Hendel, a professor and then-chair of the political science department, further encouraged her to pursue her goal of protecting and advancing civil rights. "They were so encouraging of my desire to make a difference," Vertefeuille said of Jacobson and Hendel.

After graduating from Trinity, Vertefeuille obtained her Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut. She remained connected to Trinity by serving for six years as the first woman on the College’s Board of Fellows. After completing law school, Vertefeuille practiced litigation law with private firms for 14 years. It was while she was in law school that she met and married Eugene Vertefeuille.

Appointments to the court
Vertefeuille’s first judicial appointment was to the Superior Court of Connecticut in 1989. During her tenure she presided over numerous complex cases, including 200 lawsuits involving silicone gel breast implants, which spanned six years. She was named to the state Appellate Court in 1999, just one year after she lost her husband to leukemia. "When a tragedy like that happens, it is important that you have something to sustain you," Vertefeuille said. "I was very lucky and thankful to be doing something I truly loved at such a difficult time in my life."

Vertefeuille had been an appellate court judges for only four months when she was nominated by the Governor for a spot on the Supreme Court. Vertefeuille had earned a reputation for being a fair-minded decision-maker with vast knowledge of the law. While she had known she wanted to be a judge, appointment to the state’s Supreme Court was an ascension she never expected. "It was unbelievable. It came as a total shock," Vertefeuille said. "But it was also a dream come true. I’m a reluctant speaker, but I love to speak to children. When I tell them my story I try to instill in them the belief that anything is possible."

In addition to her duties on the Supreme Court, Vertefeuille is also a member of the Commission to Study the Attorney Grievance Process, which is reviewing the complex regulations for filing complaints against lawyers. When she is not deciding with her colleagues the final word on the state’s laws, Vertefeuille spends time with her son, a high school senior who is now considering Trinity among his college options. "I have fond memories of my Trinity experience," she said. "I have told my son that one of Trinity’s great advantages is that it is a liberal arts college in a city – a place where what he will learn in the classroom will be enhanced by real-life experiences. For me, it truly was an excellent experience."