How Judges Are Chosen in Vermont

Vermont Supreme Court justices are appointed by the governor from a list drawn up by a nominating commission and confirmed by the State Senate; at the end of each 6-year term the legislature votes on keeping them.

• Seats: 5 justices on the Vermont Supreme Court.
• Term: 6 years.
• Confirmation: appointees must be approved by the State Senate.
• To serve again: Legislature decides.
• Other courts: Superior Court judges are appointed the same way; probate judges are elected.

At the end of each term the General Assembly votes on whether to retain the justice.

Compare every state on the judicial selection table.

No. Vermont voters do not vote on the Vermont Supreme Court: its justices are appointed, and the legislature decides whether they serve another term.

Other judges can still be on your ballot. Superior Court judges are appointed the same way; probate judges are elected. Check your sample ballot for every judicial race where you live.

• Your sample ballot: Vermont’s official election site shows every judicial race on your ballot, including local courts.
• Deadlines and voting options: How to vote in Vermont — registration, early voting, mail ballots and poll hours.
• Candidate details: Ballotpedia tracks each candidate’s background, endorsements and spending; local news and the state bar often publish candidate surveys.

Judicial ethics rules bar candidates from promising how they will rule, so a judge’s record and experience usually say more than campaign ads. This site does not endorse or rate candidates.

Vermont’s senators: Peter Welch (Democratic) and Bernard Sanders (Independent).