U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont
U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Second Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| John Garvan Murtha | Clinton (D) | 1995 |
| William K. Sessions III | Clinton (D) | 1995 |
| Christina Clair Reiss | Obama (D) | 2009 |
| Geoffrey William Crawford | Obama (D) | 2014 |
| Mary Kay Lanthier | Biden (D) | 2024 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Fred I. Parker | Bush (R) | 1990–1994 |
| Franklin S. Billings Jr. | Reagan (R) | 1984–2014 |
| Albert Wheeler Coffrin | Nixon (R) | 1972–1993 |
| James Stuart Holden | Nixon (R) | 1971–1996 |
| James Lowell Oakes | Nixon (R) | 1970–1971 |
| Bernard Joseph Leddy | Johnson (D) | 1966–1972 |
| Ernest William Gibson Jr. | Truman (D) | 1949–1969 |
| James Patrick Leamy | Roosevelt (D) | 1940–1949 |
| Harland Bradley Howe | Wilson (D) | 1915–1945 |
| James Loren Martin | Roosevelt (R) | 1906–1915 |
| Hoyt Henry Wheeler | Hayes (R) | 1877–1906 |
| David Allen Smalley | Pierce (D) | 1857–1877 |
| Samuel Prentiss | Tyler (N) | 1842–1857 |
| Elijah Paine | Adams (N) | 1801–1842 |
| Samuel Hitchcock | Washington (–) | 1794–1801 |
| Nathaniel Chipman | Washington (–) | 1791–1793 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1791.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.