Bridgeport Superior Court judge excuses chief public defender from jury duty

BRIDGEPORT — The state’s chief public defender, currently facing a disciplinary hearing before the Public Defender Services Commission, was dismissed from jury duty in a murder case on Tuesday.

Before lawyers could ask the standard questions of a potential juror, Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton excused TaShun Bowden-Lewis from serving.

“I think it's obvious why we brought you out,” Dayton said to Bowden-Lewis as she sat in the courtroom's jury box.

“Yes,” Bowden-Lewis responded before laughing.

Dayton did not have the prosecutor or the two public defenders in the case question Bowden-Lewis, but instead dismissed her on the grounds that it would be a conflict to have the public defenders’ boss sitting on a jury in which they are involved.

There was no mention of the pending discipline hearing that Bowden-Lewis is currently involved in.

“I’m just doing my civic duty,” Bowden-Lewis said as she left the Bridgeport Judicial District Courthouse. She declined further comment.

Last week the state Public Defender Services Commission began a hearing to determine the fate of Bowden-Lewis.

On Thursday at 4:30 p.m., the commission is scheduled to meet to hear any additional testimony and legal arguments, deliberate behind closed doors and decide whether to fire or otherwise discipline Bowden-Lewis.