Information for Candidates Seeking the Office of Assistant Judge
Thank you for your interest in running for the office of county Assistant Judge. The Association for Assistant Judges is providing you with some important information that you need to have during your campaign.
It is common for candidates to assume they are running for an office that is most similar to a town selectboard. Indeed, that is one function of assistant judges—to be the executives of their county.
However, you might not fully realize that you are also seeking to become an elected member of the Vermont Judiciary. Assistant judges are held to the same high standards of judicial conduct as their appointed superior court colleagues. We must exhibit integrity, honesty and judicial temperament so that the public has utmost confidence in the judges they elect to this unique office.
Qualifications for Office
Assistant judges over the decades, have come from many backgrounds and walks of life. By statute one must only be a resident of the county in which they will serve. It is common to see those with some kind of management experience in the office, but it is not a prerequisite.
As of 2022 the current assistant judges include three attorneys—one a former State’s Attorney for Lamoille County; former members of law enforcement; former high school and college educators; small business owners; former legislators; a former Olympic skier; former municipal administrators and more. Our experiences are what make us knowledgeable about our local communities and able to perform our duties at the highest level.
Since it is an elected position, one must petition voters to get their name on the ballot. It is a four-year term, with elections in even-numbered years opposite the Presidential elections.
Visit the Secretary of State’s website to understand fully the method and deadlines to qualify for the election ballot.
Tech-related Qualifications for Assistant Judges
In 2020, The Vermont Judiciary transitioned completely to an online filing system called Odyssey. It is through Odyssey that court staff, parties, attorneys, judges, and assistant judges have access to case documents and filings. This is how judges now issue their decisions as well. The days of paper files is a thing of the past!
Because of this transition, now more than ever, it is imperative that assistant judges have solid foundation of basic computer skills that will set them up to be successful in learning this complex system.
In addition to being trained to use Odyssey, assistant judges will need to be able to independently navigate between different communication methods such as Microsoft Teams and WebEx (the platform courts use to conduct remote hearings).
The Judiciary will provide training on the internal systems it uses to all members of the Judiciary. To be able to keep up in these trainings however, it is important for assistant judges to come in with a solid ability to perform fundamental tasks on a computer. This includes an understanding certain software, applications, programs, tools and more. In their everyday tasks, assistant judges toggle between the use of the following:
-Microsoft Outlook (for email correspondence and court calendars to gain access to online hearings)
-Microsoft Teams (for internal communication, access to essential information, and internal digital meetings)
-Odyssey (for access to case files for review and to enter orders)
-Knowledge of how to use different drives on your computer
-Knowledge of how to research Vermont Statutes
-Spreadsheet software such as Excel (for county budget work)
While there aren’t specific tech-related qualifications for this position written out in the statutes, the reality is that the Judiciary now operates in a way which requires this type of knowledge for assistant judges to be able to do our jobs well. We do not have administrative assistants or clerks who are available to help us with these tasks while we are sitting on the bench or in chambers, so proficiency in this area is a must.
Your Duties Will Vary by County
Your administrative duties include overseeing county employees, buildings and the budget.
Your duties as a judicial officer include serving on family and civil court proceedings.
In some counties, serving in their judicial capacity is a five-day-a-week job. In other counties, the number of days in court will be fewer. Your administrative work may differ depending on whether your county owns and maintains a county courthouse.
Please contact your local assistant judges to determine the number of hours you will be expected to work in your county.