Andy Thibault

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Andy Thibault In Pursuit Of Justice
By Karen Klein
The Authority
Connecticut's Source of Publishing And Marketing Information
Connecticut Association of Publishers and Authors
Volume 10, Issue 5, May 2003                  

     Andy Thibault shared his love of books, knowledge of Connecticut politics and passion for justice with CAPA members at our April meeting. An investigative reporter, he is a sharp observer of how local and state politics impact the justice system. He gives voice to those who are not powerful enough to be heard.

     Now a columnist for Law Tribune Newspapers, Andy credits his mother with starting him the path down the road to his present career; she took him on many nature walks during childhood and encouraged him to make up stories.
Later in high school, Andy wrote movie reviews for the school paper and became a sports writer (for $2.00 an hour) for The Norwich Bulletin.

     While Andy was studying at Boston University as a Political Science major, Professor Howard Zinn taught him a healthy disrespect for government through the study of the uses and abuses of power. Andy later drew on his sense of justice while reporting on such topics as police brutality in Hartford, the Russian Mob in Brooklyn and the pipe bombing at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.

     Andy has recently co-authored two books with Charles Johnson, The 12-Minute MBA For Doctors, Michelle Publishing, 2001, and The12-Minute MBA For Lawyers, American Lawyer Media, 2002. In his book, Law & Justice In Everyday Life, TNT Publishing, 2002, Andy has compiled essays from his Cool Justice column. Many tell disturbing stories of power and corruption. One involved the 1973 hit-and-run death in New London of Kevin B. Showalter, a college student. Members listened with rapt attention to the subsequent cover-up and to what Andy and others uncovered through their efforts.

     This journalist's work reminds us that as a society we are indebted to the Fourth Estate. It is frightening to think of the lost freedoms and civil liberties in places where the press is under government control. Indeed, without a free press, governmental powers can go largely uncontested. Andy's willingness to speak out, and his outstanding ability to do so, are inspirational.

     A man of letters, Andy is a former board member of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. The series of articles he co-authored on the court system's handling of a juvenile sexual assault case led to changes in state law and to his winning first prize from the National Newspaper Association for investigative reporting. A licensed professional boxing judge, Andy is also former Chairman of the Connecticut Boxing Promotion Commission. After speaking to CAPA, he was off to a CT casino to judge a boxing match. To many people, investigative reporter and boxing judge may seem to be world's apart, but to Andy, perhaps they are just two different ways to make sure that a fight is won fair and square. 

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