President Bush’s nominee to Connecticut’s federal bench is not qualified to become a federal judge, according to the American Bar Association.

Superior Court Judge Vanessa L. Bryant would be the first black woman named as a federal judge in New England. Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell recommended her to the president after U.S. District Judge Dominic J. Squatrito left his seat in November 2004 for a reduced caseload as a senior judge.