Judicial retention hearing: judges emphasize communication, access and training amid staffing and remote‑hearing challenges

The Joint Committee on Judicial Retention on Feb. 25 heard testimony from Vermont Superior Court judges Elizabeth Mann, Megan Shafference, Timothy Tomasi and Chief Superior Judge Thomas Sone, who described efforts to improve courtroom communication, address case backlogs and expand access for litigants including those who are incarcerated.

The judges told committee members they use surveys and informal outreach to identify problems raised by attorneys, staff and litigants, and that recent operational changes — from full rollout of electronic filing to expanded remote‑hearing capability — have changed how the courts get feedback and deliver services.

Judge Elizabeth Mann said formal and informal bench‑bar communication has helped her identify “ripple effects” from courtroom practices and to try new approaches such as brief judicial‑entry orders and more deliberate pretrial conferences to preserve limited hearing time. “My goal each day is to be a better judge today than I was yesterday,” she said, noting anonymous critical comments in survey responses that kept her “awake many a night.” She told the committee she will pilot more proactive outreach to attorneys and court users to reduce miscommunication she said…