Connecticut Court: J & G Realty LLC v. Capone Case Clarifies 'Officially Released' Date

• The "officially released" date on a legal opinion indicates its publication in the Connecticut Law Journal or release as a slip opinion.
• This date serves as the operative starting point for all time periods related to filing postopinion motions.
• It also marks the beginning of all time periods for submitting petitions for certification.
• All judicial opinions are subject to subsequent modification and technical correction.

Therefore, understanding and accurately tracking the "officially released" date is indispensable for legal practitioners to ensure strict compliance with procedural rules and to safeguard their clients' rights to further legal recourse.

The legal document associated with J & G Realty LLC v. Capone provides essential clarity regarding the formal publication process of judicial decisions. It establishes that an "officially released" date is prominently displayed near the commencement of every opinion. This specific date serves a critical dual function within the structured system of legal information dissemination, ensuring transparency and predictability.

Primarily, this date signifies the precise moment when a given opinion is slated for official publication within the Connecticut Law Journal, making it accessible to the broader legal community. Concurrently, it also marks the point at which the opinion is made available to the public as a "slip opinion," representing its initial public release. This standardized approach to dating opinions is fundamental for tracking their entry into the public record.

The significance of the "officially released" date extends far beyond mere public availability, as it dictates crucial procedural timelines for subsequent legal maneuvers. The document unequivocally states that this designated date functions as the "operative date" for the initiation of all time periods related to the filing of postopinion motions. This means that the clock for any motions challenging or seeking to enforce aspects of the court's decision begins ticking precisely from this release point.

Furthermore, the same "officially released" date is equally critical for establishing the start of all time periods for submitting petitions for certification. These petitions, which typically seek review by a higher appellate body, must adhere to deadlines calculated from this specific date. Therefore, understanding and accurately tracking the "officially released" date is indispensable for legal practitioners to ensure strict compliance with procedural rules and to safeguard their clients' rights to further legal recourse.

A key insight provided by the document is the understanding that judicial opinions, even once officially released, are not necessarily immutable in their initial form. The text explicitly highlights that all opinions remain subject to potential modification. This provision acknowledges the judiciary's prerogative to make substantive alterations to a decision after its initial public dissemination, reflecting a continuous process of judicial review and refinement.

In addition to broader modifications, opinions are also subject to technical correction. These typically involve rectifying clerical errors, typographical inaccuracies, or other non-substantive issues that do not change the legal outcome but improve the document's precision and clarity. This inherent possibility of both modification and technical correction underscores that while the "officially released" date establishes critical procedural timelines, the definitive text of an opinion may still undergo adjustments, necessitating careful attention to any subsequent revisions.

Source: Based on procedural notes from the J & G Realty LLC v. Capone document.