Shumlin
MONTPELIER, Vt. (Legal Newsline) - Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin last week appointed attorney Beth Robinson to serve on the state's Supreme Court.
Robinson will replace Justice Denise Johnson, who announced her retirement in August.
Robinson has practiced law for 18 years at the Middlebury and Burlington law firm of Langrock Sperry & Wool LLP.
Most notably, she served as co-counsel in the case of Baker v. Vermont.
The case was brought by three same-sex couples who applied for and were denied marriage licenses in the towns of Milton, Shelburne and South Burlington. The couples subsequently sued the towns and the State.
The Vermont Supreme Court, in its December 1999 ruling, affirmed the same-sex couples' right to treatment equal to that of traditional married couples.
More recently, Robinson has served as the governor's legal counsel.
"I am proud to appoint Beth Robinson to the Supreme Court," Shumlin said in a statement Tuesday. "Beth's strong legal background, experience with crafting legislation at the Statehouse and commitment to the equal rights of all Vermonters will make her an exceptional justice on the Vermont Supreme Court."
Shumlin said while he is "thrilled" to see Robinson head to the Court, he is sad to lose her as his counsel.
"In addition to depending on Beth's sound legal advice, it is a pleasure to work with her every day," he said.
Robinson, who graduated from Dartmouth College in 1986 and the University of Chicago Law School in 1989, said she was honored by the appointment.
"I'm humbled by the confidence that Gov. Shumlin has placed in me, and deeply grateful both for the opportunity I've had to serve his administration these past 10 months, and for the chance to serve Vermont's judiciary in the years to come," she said in a statement.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.