Judge Cocco

When Lenny Cocco was named to the Superior Court in 1987 I never saw a man express such pure joy. I was then administrative aide to Mayor Tom Bucci and we had interacted on a variety of issues. Lenny rushed into my office and gave me a big squeeze. I had nothing to do with his appointment, but we had discussed the subject of his possible selection many times. Sorry to hear this news.

From Dan Tepfer the CT Post:

BRIDGEPORT — Superior Court Judge Leonard M. Cocco died suddenly Thursday morning after taking ill at his Trumbull home.

Cocco, 77, a judge for 23 years, was pronounced dead at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. His death comes one day after that of his younger sister, Raphaele Cocco McLaughlin, 67, of Trumbull, died following a battle with cancer.

A product of the city’s East Side, Cocco earned the nickname the “bulldog,” for his tough, no nonsense attitude on the bench. But outside the courtroom Cocco was warm, and affable, willing to give a stranded staff member a ride home.

“Judge Cocco had a unique perspective in his position as a Superior Court judge,” said Bridgeport Chief Administrative Judge Theodore Tyma. “He was a people’s judge on the bench and a dedicated public servant who will be greatly missed by his colleagues, and by the people that he served in the local community.”

A 1951 graduate of Harding High School, Cocco earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Bridgeport in 1955 and his law degree from Boston University in 1958.