Politics & Government
First Woman Sworn In As Fairfield Probate Judge
Judge Kate Neary Maxham Will Preside over Fairfield Probate Court
Kate Neary Maxham was sworn in as Judge of Probate by Town Clerk Betsy Browne on January 3, 2019 in a ceremony in the Burr Homestead on the Old Post Road in Fairfield. Fairfield First Selectman Michael Tetreau introduced Neary Maxham to the standing-room only group of hundreds of guests.
According to the Connecticut State Library, the Fairfield Probate District was constituted May 1666 session, as a County Court. The Fairfield Probate District serves the municipality of Fairfield. Kate Neary Maxham is the first woman to preside over the court in over 350 years.
Judge Maxham replaced Judge Daniel F. Caruso who died unexpectedly last February. She was elected to succeed him on November 6, 2018 by a wide margin. First Selectman Tetreau spoke of how calmly Neary Maxham ran the Probate Court immediately after Caruso's passing.
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Tetreau stated,"I couldn't think of somebody who is more qualified. When you think about who probate court helps with, who comes to the probate court, their emotional state, what they're going through... and how important is to have somebody who's understanding, compassionate and can relate with them what they're going through, that's Kate."
After her oath of office, Kate Neary Maxham said, "The work of the court comes from so many different groups. It comes from our stellar staff, our Board of Selectman, our police department, our fire department, our social services department, and every other social services department in the state that we all have to work together to help everybody in Fairfield. And it makes the court does and all of this, all of it was put in place by Judge Dan Caruso."
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"He tirelessly worked for the last 25 years to make the court work the way that it does. And everybody in Fairfield has reaped those benefits. My hope and prayer is that in the future that I can try to sustain that level of service," Neary Maxham added.
State elected officials in attendance include State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey, Brenda Kupchick and Laura Devlin; and State Senator Tony Hwang.
