Gov. Peter Shumlin announced two new appointments to superior court positions Thursday.
Rutland attorney Elizabeth Mann will fill a seat left by Judge Kathleen Manley, who is retiring.
Mann, a partner at Tepper Dardeck, Levins and Mann, has practiced law in Vermont for more than 25 years. She has practiced criminal, civil and family law, including logging 11 years as a public defender.
She received her undergraduate from Dartmouth College and her JD from Vermont Law School.
“I am humbled by this opportunity to work every day to insure that all who come to the courts of Vermont are treated with dignity and courtesy, that their concerns are heard, and that their cases are considered with reason, compassion, fairness and impartiality,” Mann said.
Addison County State’s Attorney David Fenster will take a newly created position.
Fenster has served as Addison County’s top prosecutor since 2009. Prior to that, he worked in private practice in Bennington at Barr Sternberg Moss Lawrence Silver Saltonstall and Fenster, where he worked in civil litigation, domestic relations and criminal defense.
He worked as a deputy state’s attorney in Bennington County. He did his undergraduate degree at University of Vermont and his law degree at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
“Vermont’s judiciary has a strong tradition of ensuring that all litigants are treated with dignity and respect, that cases are handled with impartiality, and that all Vermonters have access to justice,” Fenster said.
Shumlin said both candidates have “strong legal backgrounds.”
“Both understand how the law affects the daily lives of individuals and how justice must go hand-in-hand with compassion and understanding,” Shumlin said. “Both will make great judges.”
