Andy Thibault

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From Michael Skakel’s conviction in the Martha Moxley murder case to actor-director Woody Allen’s child molestation charges, author Andy Thibault gets straight to the point. Like Sergeant Friday in the old TV series Dragnet, Thibault is interested in "the facts, ma’am – just the facts." For his follow-through, he turns up the heat with all the restraint of hard rock singer Axl Rose performing "Welcome to the Jungle." This investigative reporter offers a startling look at individual cases involving cover-ups, negligent police work and corruption in our justice system. He digs deep to unearth a nasty box of worms that some would prefer stay buried.

Friends and bookstore patrons stopped in to the Bookworm in West Hartford recently to see Andy Thibault on a Saturday afternoon. Thibault, a columnist for Law Tribune Newspapers, has just published a compilation of his meaty columns. He has fearlessly gone after crooked cops, inept judges and bureaucratic red tape in the legal system. Evidently, he has rankled so many top dogs in the legal system that some wonder why he’s still breathing. His book, Law And Justice In Everyday Life, was recently published, along with The 12-Minute MBA For Lawyers.

As Thibault compiled his controversial columns for this book, he found that he has gained quite a few admirers along the way. A Foreword to the second edition was written by internationally-known lawyer F. Lee Bailey.

Thibault was interviewed by radio personalities Ray Dunaway and Diane Smith on the WTIC Morning Show this August. And with accolades from Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Anthony Dolan and former Northeast magazine editor Lary Bloom, Thibault has created positive media attention as well as negative attention from the state Judicial Department.

"In terms of what we buy and distribute, we’re not buying The Law Tribune." This is a quote from former Chief Court Administrator Robert Leuba, who was boycotting The Tribune, incensed by Thibault’s column, "Cool Justice."

A writer since the age of 17, Thibault began with sports columns for The Norwich Bulletin and The Groton News. He is an alumnus of Boston University; the Register Citizen of Torrington also employed him as editor.

John Fitts, Farmington Valley Post editor, worked as a Register Citizen correspondent in 1984. He knew Thibault. "Andy always had a brilliant mind; I’m not surprised that he has published a successful book," said Fitts.

Thibault has been an editor for newspapers that include the Hartford Courant, The Commercial Record, The Stamford Advocate and The Times Leader [Wilkes-Barre, Pa.]. he has reported on police brutality in Hartford, the Russian Mob in Brooklyn, and the cover-up of the hit and run death of Kevin Showalter in New London. This involved a judge who was a friend of the leading suspect.

Thibault also waxes in a more thorough manner on the 1993 death of Vince Foster, an attorney who worked for President Bill Clinton, and looks into the finances of the late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown.

Thibault, who teaches courses in journalism [University of Hartford], is interested in helping young, gifted writers. He is currently the chairman of the IMPAC-Connecticut State University Young Writers Trust; this non-profit foundation offers awards for young writers. The Trust, which is in its sixth year of operation, offers $19,000 annually to young writers who live in the state of Connecticut.

"Entry forms are sent to public, private and parochial schools," said Thibault. "Kids 13-18 are eligible to compete in two categories – prose and poetry."

He said a young writer in each county will be given $1,000 for poetry and $1,000 for prose, from the IMPAC-CSU Trust. [Two statewide winners earn an additional $1,000 and there is a prototype competition for young writers of French and Spanish with a total of $1,000 in prizes.]

Thibault and his wife, Lora, live in Litchfield. They have four children.

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