Beth Robinson

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Beth Robinson
Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
Assumed office
November 28, 2011
Appointed byPeter Shumlin
Preceded byDenise R. Johnson
Personal details
Born (1965-03-06) March 6, 1965 (age 56)
Indiana[1]
Spouse(s)Kym Boyman
ResidenceFerrisburgh, Vermont
Alma materDartmouth College
University of Chicago Law School

Beth Robinson (born March 6, 1965)[2] is an American lawyer and judge from Vermont who serves as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. She is a nominee to be a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Early life and education[]

Born in Indiana, Robinson graduated from Dartmouth College in 1986 and the University of Chicago Law School in 1989.[1]

Legal career[]

After graduating from law school, Robinson was a law clerk for federal judge David B. Sentelle.[3] She was employed for 18 years at Langrock, Sperry & Wool, a law firm with offices in Burlington and Middlebury.[3] While there, she worked on issues of workers' compensation, personal injury, constitutional law and, most prominently, gay and lesbian rights.[4] Robinson served as co-counsel in the case of Baker v. State, the landmark 1999 decision that led to Vermont becoming the first state to enact civil unions.[5] She was subsequently involved in the 2009 legislative battle to enact same-sex marriage, chairing Vermont Freedom to Marry and working closely with Peter Shumlin, a prominent supporter of same-sex marriage, who was then president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate.[6] Robinson was also active in Shumlin's successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign, then joined his administration as his general counsel.[3]

Judicial career[]

Vermont Supreme Court[]

Shumlin announced on October 18, 2011 that he was appointing Robinson to fill the seat vacated by Justice Denise Johnson, who announced her retirement in August 2011. Since the Senate was not in session at the time, Robinson's appointment was considered interim until the Senate convened and acted upon her nomination.[7] She was sworn in as an interim member of the court on November 28, 2011.[8] The Senate voted on her nomination on February 7, 2012 and approved it by a vote of 26–0.[9] Four of the thirty senators were absent for the vote: all four announced their support for Robinson's nomination the following day.[10]

Nomination to federal court of appeals[]

On August 5, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Robinson to serve as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.[11] President Biden nominated Robinson to the seat vacated by Judge Peter W. Hall, who took senior status on March 4, 2021.[12] Her nomination is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee. If confirmed, she would be the first lesbian and woman from the LGBTQ+ community to serve on any federal circuit court.[13] Robinson would also be the first alumna of Dartmouth College to serve as an United States Article III federal judge.[citation needed]

Personal life[]

Robinson, a resident of Ferrisburgh, is a lesbian.[14] She and her wife Kym Boyman entered into a civil union in 2001 and got married in 2010.[8] Robinson is one of eleven openly LGBT state supreme court justices currently serving in the United States.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Vt. gov nominates Robinson to Supreme Court". Associated Press. October 18, 2011.
  2. ^ Lawyer Central profile
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Heintz, Paul; Duffort, Lola (August 5, 2021). "Biden names Justice Beth Robinson, a champion of marriage equality, to federal appellate court". VT Digger. Montpelier, VT.
  4. ^ "Miller gets post in Shumlin cabinet". Addison County Independent. November 24, 2010. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  5. ^ "Vermont gov appoints counsel to supreme court". Legal Newsline. October 24, 2011.
  6. ^ "Governor appoints Beth Robinson to Vt SupCo". WCAX. October 18, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  7. ^ "Vermont Constitution, Section 33".
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Same-sex marriage advocate joins Vermont Supreme Court". The Burlington Free Press. November 28, 2011. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013.
  9. ^ "Journal of the Vermont Senate: February 7, 2012" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Journal of the Vermont Senate: February 8, 2012" (PDF).
  11. ^ "President Biden Names Sixth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  12. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. August 5, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  13. ^ "Biden Announces Two Lesbian Nominees to Federal Judiciary". www.advocate.com. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  14. ^ "Vt. gov.'s high court nominee pushed civil unions, marriage law". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. October 21, 2011.


Legal offices
Preceded by
Denise R. Johnson 		Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
2011–present 		Incumbent
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