A Brattleboro native has become the newest member of the Vermont Superior Court.
Gov. Phil Scott announced on Aug. 30 his appointment of Jennifer Barrett of Newport to the state's second-highest court.
“Jennifer has demonstrated her legal expertise, as well as her commitment to justice and public service, in her role as state's attorney and I'm confident she will continue to set a strong example on the bench,” Scott said in a news release.
Barrett has served as the state's attorney for Orleans County since 2015. She previously served as deputy state's attorney in both Orleans and Bennington counties.
As state's attorney, Barrett has prosecuted a range of cases, including homicides, kidnappings, sexual assaults and domestic assaults, as well as juvenile cases, post-conviction-relief cases, and appeals.
Over the course of her career, she has tried more than 50 cases to verdict before Vermont juries.
“I am humbled by the confidence that Gov. Scott has placed in me and am looking forward to continuing my public service career and the ability to keep serving the people of Vermont,” said Barrett, acknowledging the judicial backlog resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barrett was born in Brattleboro, and attended Brattleboro Union High School as well as the Vermont Academy of Science and Technology.
She graduated from Champlain College, magna cum laude, in 2008 with a degree in computer and digital forensics. She attended the University of New Hampshire School of Law, where she completed an externship with James Ware, then a judge with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
With this appointment, Scott has now appointed 12 Vermonters to the Superior Court - six women and six men, as well as three justices to the Supreme Court - two women and one man, the news release noted.