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Andrew McDonald is seen in the atrium of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Conn. in this 2005 photo. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

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Senate backs McDonald for Conn. Supreme Court

Updated: Wednesday, 23 Jan 2013, 2:20 PM EST
Published : Wednesday, 23 Jan 2013, 2:20 PM EST

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Former Stamford state Sen. Andrew McDonald's nomination to Connecticut's State Supreme Court is moving through the General Assembly.

The Senate voted 30-3 on Wednesday in favor of McDonald's appointment. The House of Representatives was expected to vote later in the day. If confirmed, McDonald will be the state's first openly gay appellate jurist.

The 46-year-old McDonald was praised by his former Senate colleagues as someone with the intellect and temperament to serve on the state's highest court.

However, he was criticized by Republican Sen. Michael McLachlan of Danbury for proposing legislation in 2009 giving lay members of the Roman Catholic Church more control over parish finances.

McLachlan called the failed proposal "a direct attack on the Catholic Church."

McDonald has most recently served as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's legal counsel.