Joette Katz was a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court before being tapped to lead the Department of Children and Families, a troubled agency that has been under federal court supervision since 1991.She was appointed to the Superior Court by O'Neill in 1989 and became the state's youngest justice at age 39 in 1992 with her appointment by Weicker to the Supreme Court. She was reappointed by Gov. John G. Rowland and Rell.Once justices are confirmed for an initial eight-term term, by tradition they are reappointed every eight years until retirement, an effective lifetime appointment. Katz could think of no one who had left the court for another career outside the law, though she had succeeded Alfred V. Covello, who resigned to become a U.S. District judge.She has been a mentor children in foster care and participated in Katrina relief work and post-tsunami relief work in Sri Lanka. She is married to Dr. Philip Rubin, CEO of Haskins Laboratories in New Haven, and has two adult children, Jason Rubin and Samantha Katz. She lives in Fairfield.