United States District Court for the District of Vermont

Current judges

: 2024–present

Former judges

Chief judges

Succession of seats

U.S. attorneys

U.S. attorneys for Vermont since it attained statehood in 1791 include:

U.S. marshals

Duties and responsibilities

The United States Marshal for the District of Vermont oversees all Marshals Service operations in Vermont. The Vermont district maintains offices in Burlington and Rutland, enabling the Marshals Service to carry out its role with respect to public safety in Vermont. The U.S. Marshal for Vermont is responsible for federal law enforcement activities within the state, including apprehending fugitives and sex offenders, managing transport of federal prisoners, and protecting federal courthouses.

History

The offices of U.S. Marshal and Deputy Marshal were created by the 1st U.S. Congress when it passed the Judiciary Act of 1789. Marshals were presidential appointees and their duties included supporting the federal courts within their districts and executing the orders of the president, Congress and federal judges. Support of the courts included serving subpoenas, summonses, writs, and warrants, making arrests, and handling prisoners. Marshals were also responsible for the finances and administration of the courts, including paying fees, expenses, and salaries for court clerks, U.S. Attorneys, jurors, and witnesses. Marshals serve at the pleasure of the president, and when the positions were created, Congress created a time limit on Marshals' service. Marshals are limited to four-year, renewable terms that expire unless they are reappointed.

In the country's early years, Marshals rented courtroom and jail space, and hired and supervised bailiffs, criers, and janitors. They also handled the day-to-day activities of court proceedings, including ensuring that defendants were present, jurors were available, and witnesses appeared as required. Marshals were also called upon to carry out federal death sentences and investigate counterfeiting. Because they were paid on a fee system, the positions were lucrative and highly sought after.

Marshals also filled a gap in the federal government as it was originally designed, executing numerous tasks because no other agency was available to do them. These duties included taking the national census every 10 years until 1870, distributing Presidential proclamations, collecting statistical data for use by federal agencies, and supplying data on federal employees for including in a national register, deporting foreigners who entered the country illegally, and capturing fugitive slaves.

Over time, the duties of Marshals grew to include activities such as enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment, the prohibition of the sale and transport of alcoholic beverages. In the modern era, the duties and responsibilities of U.S. Marshals include witness protection and apprehension of federal fugitives.

U.S. marshals and dates of appointment

Vermont's U.S. marshals have included:

• Lewis R. Morris, March 4, 1791
• Jabez G. Fitch, June 9, 1794
• John Willard, March 11, 1801
• David Robinson, January 7, 1811
• Heman Allen (of Colchester), December 14, 1818
• Joseph Edson, March 3, 1823
• Heman Lowry, June 6, 1829
• George W. Barker, December 30, 1835
• Heman Lowry, March 7, 1837
• William Barron, March 10, 1841
• Jacob Kent Jr., March 15, 1845
• John Pettes, March 13, 1849
• Charles Chapin, April 1, 1853
• Lewis S. Partridge, May 2, 1857
• Charles C. P. Baldwin, April 12, 1861
• Hugh H. Henry, July 25, 1865
• George P. Foster, January 24, 1870
• William W. Henry, April 10, 1879
• John Robinson, June 24, 1886
• Rollin Amsden, June 18, 1890
• Emory S. Harris, June 9, 1894
• Fred A. Field, June 14, 1898
• Frank H. Chapman, October 16, 1903
• Horace W. Bailey, October 21, 1903
• Arthur P. Carpenter, February 14, 1914
• Albert W. Harvey, June 2, 1922
• Edward L. Burke, June 7, 1935
• Dewey H. Perry, March 14, 1954
• Thomas W. Sorrell, August 3, 1961
• Christian Hansen Jr., June 20, 1969
• Earle B. McLaughlin, July 28, 1977
• Christian Hansen Jr., March 17, 1982
• John E. Rouille, September 29, 1994
• John H. Sinclair, November 29, 1999
• John R. Edwards, March 18, 2002
• David E.  Demag, August 18, 2009
• Bradley J. LaRose, January 2, 2019
• John Hall (acting), July 9, 2024

References

References

1. (11 January 2026). "Meet the First Assistant United States Attorney". United States Attorney's Office: District of Vermont.
2. Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "The Political Graveyard: U.S. District Attorneys in Vermont". Lawrence Kestenbaum.
3. Davis, Mark. (2017-06-07). "Will Vermont's Federal Prosecutors Get Tougher on Drug Crimes?".
4. (January 3, 2019). "U.S. Senate confirms Vermont's next U.S. Marshal". VT Digger.
5. "George Washington Appoints First Marshals - 1789". United States Marshals Service.
6. (15 June 2020). "History - Broad Range of Authority". U.S. Marshals Service.
7. "Historical Timeline". U.S. Marshals Service.
8. (2009). "District of Vermont History; List of Marshals". United States Marshals Service.
9. (January 3, 2019). "Senate confirms former Essex Police Chief Brad LaRose as Vermont's US Marshal". Vermont Business Magazine.
10. Donoghue, Mike. (July 10, 2024). "U.S. marshal for Vermont retires". [[Barre Montpelier Times Argus]].