Judiciary officials brief Senate Judiciary on court unification, case backlog and remote hearings

Chief Superior Judge Zohne and Gary Corsales, state court administrator, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 21 that Vermont’s unified court system and recent staffing increases are helping reduce a COVID-era backlog and allow the courts to open more trial dates.

"Our goal is to make sure that you have the information that you need to make the policy and other decisions that you need to make on a daily basis here in the legislature," Gary Corsales said, describing the judiciary's role as a resource for lawmakers.

Why it matters: The committee heard that several operational changes — including filling judicial vacancies, assigning floating judges, better case coding and expanding trial calendars — are already lowering pending-case counts. Committee members sought detail on remote hearings, access for litigants without technology, and the resource needs tied to proposals such as expanded expungements.

Court structure and staffing Chief Superior Judge Zohne outlined the basic structure of Vermont’s unified court system, created by a 2010 unification effort, and described how trial-level work is organized. Superior Court judges handle criminal, family, civil and probate matters across 14 units; the Vermont Supreme Court is the sole appellate court.

Zohne descr…