A state court of last resort / Established 1926

Vermont Supreme Court

Montpelier · A court of last resort in Vermont.

The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest court in Vermont. Its justices are chosen by gubernatorial appointment. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.

37
Justices in history
6
Currently serving
Appointment
Selection
6-yr
Term
Current justices
Former justices
JusticeYears
Brian L. Burgess2005–2013
Jeffrey L. Amestoy1997–2004
Denise Johnson1990–2011
James L. Morse1988–2003
Frank G. Mahady1987–1987
Thomas L. Hayes1985–1987
Frederic W. Allen1984–1996
Ernest W. Gibson III1983–1997
Louis P. Peck1981–1990
Wynn Underwood1981–1984
William C. Hill1976–1987
Franklin S. Billings Jr.1975–1984
Robert W. Larrow1974–1981
Rudolph J. Daley1972–1980
F Ray Keyser Sr.1964–1975
Harold C. Sylvester1963–1964
Albert W. Barney Jr.1960–1982
Milford K. Smith1960–1976
Percival L. Shangraw1958–1974
James Stuart Holden1956–1972
Benjamin N. Hulburd1955–1963
Paul A. Chase1953–1956
Stephen S. Cushing1952–1953
Charles Bayley Adams1949–1959
Samuel H. Blackmer1949–1951
Walter H. Cleary1947–1959
Olin M. Jeffords1938–1958
Allen R. Sturtevant1938–1948
John S. Buttles1937–1949
John C. Sherburne1934–1955
Sherman R. Moulton1926–1949

How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the Vermont Supreme Court are appointed by the governor to 6-year terms. A judicial nominating board screens candidates and the governor appoints with Senate consent; justices are retained for further six-year terms by a vote of the General Assembly. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project; selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).