BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The U.S. Senate has voted to approve Orwell native Mary Kay Lanthier’s nomination to serve as a federal judge in Vermont.
Lanthier was confirmed to the position, which carries a lifetime appointment, with a vote of 55 to 42 on Wednesday evening.
President Biden nominated Lanthier earlier this summer to fill the seat of Judge Geoffrey Crawford with the joint recommendation of senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch.
“The panel was impressed by Mary Kay’s career in public defense, her stellar reputation in the legal community, and her warmth and empathy. I was also impressed after interviewing her. One thing that struck me was not only her deep love of the law but her deep love of Rutland, Vermont, where this judgeship is,” said Sanders.
Lanthier began her legal career as a judicial law clerk for the trial courts in Chittenden and Addison counties.
She’s served as the supervising attorney at the Rutland County Public Defender’s Office for the past 17 years.