Christina Nolan
Christina Nolan is a judge of the Vermont Supreme Court. She assumed office on February 6, 2026. Her current term ends on January 1, 2032.
Nolan (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Vermont. She lost in the Republican primary on August 9, 2022.
Nolan first became a member of the Vermont Supreme Court through an appointment. Phil Scott first appointed her to the court in 2026 to the seat vacated by William Cohen.[1] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Biography
Christina Nolan was born in Westford, Vermont, and lives in Burlington, Vermont. Nolan earned a degree from the University of Vermont and a juris doctor from Boston College. Her career experience includes working as a United States attorney and the senior editor of the Boston College Law Review.[2]
Appointments
2026
On January 5, 2026, Governor Phil Scott (R) nominated Christina Nolan to replace Vermont Supreme Court Justice William Cohen, who retired on December 27, 2025.[3] Nolan was confirmed by the Vermont State Senate on February 6, 2026, and was sworn in the same day. Nolan is Gov. Scott's 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.[4]
Elections
2022
See also: United States Senate election in Vermont, 2022
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Vermont
The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate Vermont on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Peter Welch (D) | 68.5 | 196,575 |
 | Gerald Malloy (R)  | 28.0 | 80,468 | |
 | Dawn Ellis (Independent) | 1.0 | 2,752 | |
| Natasha Diamondstone-Kohout (Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont) | 0.5 | 1,574 | ||
 | Kerry Patrick Raheb (Independent) | 0.5 | 1,532 | |
 | Mark Coester (Independent) | 0.4 | 1,273 | |
| Stephen Duke (Independent) | 0.4 | 1,209 | ||
 | Cris Ericson (Independent) | 0.4 | 1,105 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 612 | ||
| Total votes: 287,100 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brock Pierce (Independent)
- Martha Abbott (Vermont Progressive Party)
- Christopher Helali (Communist Party)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Vermont
Peter Welch defeated Isaac Evans-Frantz and Niki Thran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Vermont on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Peter Welch | 87.0 | 86,603 |
 | Isaac Evans-Frantz | 7.3 | 7,230 | |
 | Niki Thran | 5.1 | 5,104 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 599 | ||
| Total votes: 99,536 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Vermont
Gerald Malloy defeated Christina Nolan and Myers Mermel in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Vermont on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gerald Malloy | 42.4 | 12,169 |
 | Christina Nolan | 37.7 | 10,825 | |
 | Myers Mermel | 18.2 | 5,227 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.7 | 489 | ||
| Total votes: 28,710 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Justin Tuthill (R)
Vermont Progressive Party primary election
Vermont Progressive Party primary for U.S. Senate Vermont
Martha Abbott advanced from the Vermont Progressive Party primary for U.S. Senate Vermont on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Martha Abbott | 86.6 | 473 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 13.4 | 73 | ||
| Total votes: 546 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Christina Nolan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
State supreme court judicial selection in Vermont
- See also: Judicial selection in Vermont
The five justices of the Vermont Supreme Court are selected through assisted appointment. The governor selects a nominee from a list of recommended candidates from a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by the Vermont Senate.[5] Once confirmed, appointees serve six-year terms. At the end of each term, judges face retention by a vote of the Vermont General Assembly.[5]
Qualifications
To serve on the Vermont Supreme Court, a judge must:
- be a state resident; and
- have practiced law as an attorney or served as a judge in the state for at least 10 years, with five years preceding their application to the commission.
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is chosen through the same assisted appointment method as the other judges on the court and serves in that capacity for a full six-year term.[5]
Vacancies
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.[6] There is one current vacancy on the Vermont Supreme Court, out of the court's five judicial positions.
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of Governor Phil Scott, “Governor Phil Scott Appoints Christina Nolan and Michael Drescher to the Vermont Supreme Court" accessed February 9, 2026
- ↑ Christina Nolan for U.S. Senate, "Meet Christina Nolan," accessed July 12, 2022
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs nameddatenote - ↑ Vermont General Assembly, "Judiciary Department - § 33. Interim judicial appointments," accessed April 18, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Vermont," accessed August 20, 2021
- ↑ Vermont General Assembly, "Judiciary Department - § 33. Interim judicial appointments," accessed April 18, 2023
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
