Connecticut is divided into 123 probate districts, each of which is presided over by a Judge of Probate who is elected to office for a four-year term. Probate Courts have jurisdiction over many matters such as:

Probating wills and the administration of estates 
Overseeing testamentary and living trusts 
Determining title to real and personal property 
Construing the meaning of wills and trusts
Appointing guardians for the mentally retarded
Appointing conservators of the person and the estate of incapable individuals
Committing those suffering from mental illness, alcoholism, or drug addiction to an appropriate facility
Removing unfit parents as guardians of their children
Terminating the parental rights of parents who cannot fulfill their parental responsibilities
Granting adoptions
Granting name changes