Vermont Supreme Court Justice Cohen vacancy (December 2025)
| Vermont Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Cohen vacancy |
| Date: December 2025[1] |
| Status: Retirement scheduled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: To be determined |
| Date: To be determined |
Vermont Supreme Court Justice William Cohen is retiring in December 2025.[1] Cohen's replacement will be Governor Scott's (R) fifth nominee to the five-member supreme court.
In Vermont, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a hybrid judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission who has no majority of members selected either by the governor or the state Bar Association. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
When the state Senate is in session, midterm vacancies are filled by the same assisted appointment method otherwise used to select judges. If the Senate is not in session, the governor may choose to make an interim appointment until the Senate convenes and acts upon the appointment. The appointed justice will serve until the Senate consents to the appointment. If the appointment is confirmed, the appointee will serve a six-year term. If the appointment is not confirmed by the Senate, the judicial office will be vacated.[2]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Vermont Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2025.
Appointee candidates and nominations
Ballotpedia will post information on candidates and prospective appointees as information becomes available. If you know of information that should be included here, please email us.
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Vermont
In Vermont, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a hybrid judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission who has no majority of members selected either by the governor or the state Bar Association. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Vermont Supreme Court
Justices
Following Cohen's retirement, the Vermont Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Harold Eaton | Appointed by Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) in 2014 | |
| ■ Nancy Waples | Appointed by Gov. Phil Scott (R) in 2022 | |
| ■ Paul Reiber | Appointed by Gov. James Douglas (R) in 2003 |
About the court
Founded in 1777, the Vermont Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Paul Reiber. In 2018, the court decided 455 cases.
As of August 2025, three judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor and one was appointed by a Democratic governor.
The Vermont Supreme Court is located in Montpelier, Vermont.[3]
About Justice Cohen
- See also: William Cohen
Cohen earned a B.A. in environmental science from George Washington University in 1980 and a J.D. from Vermont Law School in 1984. Before serving on the supreme court, Cohen was a superior court judge in Rutland County, Vermont, from 1999 to 2019. From 1986 to 1999, he worked as an attorney in private practice. He also worked as a deputy state's attorney in Rutland County from 1984 to 1986.[4][5]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2025
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2025
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2025. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2024.
| 2025 State Supreme Court Vacancies |
|---|
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Note: As of August 12, 2025, Cohen has not announced his official retirement date.
- ↑ Vermont General Assembly, "Judiciary Department - § 33. Interim judicial appointments," accessed April 18, 2023
- ↑ Vermont Judiciary, "Supreme Court," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Civil Government: State of Vermont," 2013
- ↑ Vermont Judiciary, "Family Division," accessed September 17, 2014
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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
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