The following memorandum was distributed today (May 9, 2025) by the Judicial Nominating Board:
MEMORANDUM
TO: Members of the Bar of the Vermont Supreme Court
FROM: Jessica Burke, Esq., Chair
Judicial Nominating Board
SUBJECT: Information Concerning Judicial Vacancy (Associate Justice)
DATE: May 9, 2025
Vermont Supreme Court Associate Justice Karen Carroll is retiring from her position as Associate Justice effective August 23, 2025. The Judicial Nominating Board is accepting applications from persons wishing to fill the vacancy. The appointment will be effective for a term that expires on March 31, 2029.
In evaluating candidates, the Judicial Nominating Board uses established criteria and standards for nomination that include, but are not necessarily limited to, such factors as integrity, legal knowledge and ability, judicial temperament, impartiality, communication capability, financial integrity, work ethic, administrative capability, experience, diligence, social consciousness, and public service.
Please note 4 V.S.A. §§ 602(b) and 602(c), which read as follows:
Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of a Supreme Court Justice, a Superior Court Judge, magistrate, or Chair of the Public Utility Commission, or when an incumbent does not declare that he or she will be a candidate to succeed himself or herself, the Board shall submit to the Governor the names of as many persons as it deems well qualified to be appointed to the office. [§602(b)]
A candidate for judge or Justice shall be a Vermont resident and an experienced lawyer who has practiced law for a minimum of ten years, with at least five years in Vermont immediately preceding his or her application to the Board. The Board may make exceptions to the five-year requirement for absences from practice for reasons including family, military, academic, or medical leave. [§602(c)(1)]
Judges may apply under § 602(c)(1).
Other information relating to this vacancy is as follows:
4 V.S.A. §§ 601(d), 602(b), 602(c)(1) and 602(d) set forth the general qualifications required of candidates for Associate Justice. See also Vt. Const. ch. II, § 35 and the Judicial Nominating Board Rules.
The appointment will be for a term which expires on March 31, 2029. Thereafter, an Associate Justice may be a candidate for retention and a six-year term. Vt. Const. ch. II, §§ 33, 34; 4 V.S.A. §§ 4, 5, 607, 608.
Effective July 13, 2025, the annual salary of an Associate Justice is $215,294. 32 V.S.A. § 1003(c).
The procedures for selection and appointment of an Associate Justice are set forth in Vt. Const. ch. II, §§ 32-35 and 4 V.S.A. §§ 601-603.
The Supreme Court has administrative control of all the courts of the State. Vt. Const. ch. II, § 30.
An Associate Justice is subject to the disciplinary and administrative authority of the Supreme Court. Vt. Const. ch. II, §§ 30, 36, 37; 4 V.S.A. §§ 3, 6; Rules of Supreme Court for Disciplinary Control of Judges; and Code of Judicial Conduct, A.O. No. 10.
This position entails the operation of various types of electronic equipment, and new equipment may be introduced at any time. Candidates should be comfortable with desktop computer applications and have basic proficiency with Microsoft Office in a Windows environment.
Any individual interested in applying for this vacancy may download the Application for Justice on the Judiciary website. The application has been recently revised, so please fill out the new application even if you have applied for an Associate Justice position in the past. Note that your Social Security Number is no longer needed on the application, however you must include your date of birth. Your completed application, in PDF form, must be filed with me at the following email address by June 13, 2025: jessicaburke1@gmail.com and merrick.grutchfield@vtcourts.gov Your application must be accompanied by your writing sample.
Interviews by the Judicial Nominating Board will be held in July in the Burlington or Montpelier area. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 802-338-6277 or at jessicaburke1@gmail.com
