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Judges appointed by Peter Shumlin
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This page lists judges appointed by Peter Shumlin (D) during their term as Governor of Vermont. As of today, the total number of Shumlin appointees was 18. For the full profile of Shumlin, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Vermont judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Shumlin.
Appointment process
In Vermont, the governor makes a judicial appointment following recommendation by a judicial nominating commission. All nominations must be confirmed by the Vermont Senate. At the end of the unexpired term, judges must stand for a retention vote in the Vermont General Assembly.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
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Vermont Supreme Court |
October 27, 2014 - Present |
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Vermont Supreme Court |
November 28, 2011 - November 1, 2021 |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Superior Court |
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Chittenden County Probate Division |
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Chittenden County Superior Court |
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Chittenden County Superior Court |
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Chittenden County Superior Court |
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Franklin County Superior Court |
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Vermont Superior Court |
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Vermont Superior Court |
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Vermont Superior Court |
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Vermont Superior Court |
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Vermont Superior Court |
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Vermont Superior Court |
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Vermont Superior Court |
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Washington County Probate Division |
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Windham County Superior Court |
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Windham County Superior Court |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Vermont
| Judicial selection in Vermont | |
 | |
| Vermont Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Vermont Superior Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Vermont Probate Division | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Vermont, including:
As of April 2025, the selection of state court judges in Vermont occurred largely through the assisted appointment method.[2] Judges are appointed by the governor from a list of names provided by a nominating commission, after which they face confirmation from the Vermont Senate. Appointed judges face retention by a vote of the Vermont General Assembly at the end of each six-year term.[3]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[4] |
|---|
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| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[5] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[6] | 1[7] | 17[8] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Vermont | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 626,088 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 9,217 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 94.9% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 1.9% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 1.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $55,176 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Vermont. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Vermont
Vermont voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Vermont, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[9]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Vermont had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Vermont coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Vermont
- United States congressional delegations from Vermont
- Public policy in Vermont
- Endorsers in Vermont
- Vermont fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Vermont," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Assisted appointment - where the governor selects a nominee from a list provided by a nominating commission.
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Vermont," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
Second Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Vermont • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Vermont
State courts:
Vermont Supreme Court • Vermont Superior Courts • Vermont Probate Court • Vermont Judicial Bureau
State resources:
Courts in Vermont • Vermont judicial elections • Judicial selection in Vermont
