Orleans County Superior Court, Vermont
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The Orleans County Superior Court resides in Vermont. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...
Jurisdiction
This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]
“ | (a)(1) A Superior Court having statewide jurisdiction is created. The Superior Court shall have the following divisions: (A) A Civil Division, which shall be a court of record and have jurisdiction over the matters described in section 31 of this title. The Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure shall apply in the Civil Division. (B) A Criminal Division, which shall be a court of record and have jurisdiction over the matters described in section 32 of this title. The Vermont Rules of Criminal Procedure shall apply to criminal matters in the Criminal Division, and the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure shall apply to civil matters in the Criminal Division. (C) A Family Division, which shall be a court of record and have jurisdiction over the matters described in section 33 of this title. The Vermont Rules of Family Procedure shall apply in the Family Division. (D) An Environmental Division, which shall be a court of record and have jurisdiction over the matters described in section 34 of this title. The Vermont Rules for Environmental Proceedings shall apply in the Environmental Division. (E) A Probate Division, which shall have jurisdiction over the matters described in section 35 of this title. The Vermont Rules of Probate Procedure shall apply in the Probate Division. (2) The Supreme Court shall promulgate rules, subject to review by the Legislative Committee on Judicial Rules under 12 V.S.A. chapter 1, that establish criteria for the transfer of cases between divisions. (b) The Supreme Court shall by rule divide the Superior Court into 14 geographical units that shall follow county lines, except that, subject to the venue requirements of subsection 1001(e) of this title, the Environmental Division shall be a court of statewide jurisdiction and shall not be otherwise divided into geographical units. The Superior Court shall be held in each unit of the State. (c) Terms of the Superior Court shall be stated by administrative orders of the Supreme Court. The Court Administrator shall provide appropriate security services for each court in the State. (Added 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), §§ 7, 7a.)[2] |
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Selection method
- See also: Assisted appointment
The judges of the Vermont Superior Court are appointed by the governor from a list provided by a nominating board, and the Vermont State Senate confirms the appointee.[3]
Once confirmed, appointees serve six-year terms. At the end of each term, judges face retention by a vote of the Vermont General Assembly.[3]
Presiding judges of the superior courts are chosen by the state supreme court. They serve in that capacity for four years, but the supreme court is authorized to remove them at any time.[3]
Qualifications
To serve on the Vermont Superior Courts, a judge must:[4]
- have practiced law as an attorney or served as a judge in the state for more than five of the last 10 years and
- be under the age of 70.*
*Sitting judges who turn 70 while in office are permitted to serve until the end of that calendar year. Retired judges may occasionally be appointed to special assignments by the supreme court.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Vermont Laws, "Title 4 : Judiciary - Chapter 001 : Supreme Court (Cite as: 4 V.S.A. § 30) § 30. Superior Court," accessed May 22, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Vermont," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Constitution, "The Vermont Constitution, Section 35," accessed September 18, 2014
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