In a federal civil rights lawsuit filed last week, Connecticut’s former chief public defender accused the state oversight commission that removed her from office of racial discrimination.
TaShun Bowden-Lewis, the first Black woman to serve as the state’s chief public defender, was terminated early last month by a unanimous vote of the Public Defender Services Commission following months of public scrutiny and a pattern of misconduct allegations.
Bowden-Lewis, who the commission appointed to a four-year term in 2022, was previously reprimanded for “inappropriate and unacceptable” conduct, including for allegedly leveling unfounded racism accusations against employees who disagreed with her.
The commission, claiming that Bowden-Lewis had created an environment of fear and retaliation, later placed her on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into allegations that she had instructed a subordinate to search employees’ emails without their knowledge.
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Simultaneously, the public defenders’ union voted overwhelmingly to express no confidence in her leadership, later saying her tenure was one of “controversy and dysfunction.”
The five-member body then held a public hearing in April to address these and other accusations before removing her from office in June.
Bowden-Lewis, whose complaint said the commission’s decision was “replete with distortions, misrepresentations, false claims, and untruthful claims,” denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
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And now, she is accusing the commission of discrimination, alleging that she was unlawfully reprimanded, suspended and fired on account of her race.
“They subjected the plaintiff to adverse disciplinary actions for conduct which her Caucasian predecessors in the position of Chief Public Defender had not been likewise disciplined,” the June 28 complaint filed in federal court said.
Bowden-Lewis is seeking compensatory damages — including back pay, benefits and legal fees — as well as reinstatement as the state’s chief public defender.
