Gov. Ned Lamont, along with Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney and Speaker of the House Matt Ritter announced five appointments Friday to the state’s seven-member Public Defender Services Commission.

Lamont is appointing retired Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Richard N. Palmer to chair the commission. “Justice Palmer is incredibly well respected in Connecticut’s legal community, having honorably served for 27 years on the Connecticut Supreme Court, becoming one of the longest serving justices in the court’s history,” the governor said. “I sought out his service to become chairperson of this commission not only because of his intellectual rigor and his extensive expertise on the inner workings of Connecticut’s legal system, but also because I am confident in his ability to provide the leadership that this commission needs during this time.”