Vermont Senate confirms Michael P. Drescher to Supreme Court after 16-15 roll call
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Summary
After heated debate over his record as a U.S. attorney in high-profile immigration-related cases, the Vermont Senate confirmed Michael P. Drescher as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court in a 16-15 vote decided when the Senate president cast the deciding vote.
The Vermont Senate confirmed Michael P. Drescher as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court on a 16-15 roll call after extended debate about his record as U.S. attorney.
The confirmation came after several senators raised concerns about Drescher’s role in prosecutions of individuals identified in the debate as Mohsen Madawi and Ramesa Ozturk. "A vote against the nominee is not a declaration that they are without ability or intelligence," said the senator who opened the opposition, adding that the court must "reflect fairness, independence, and lived experiences of Vermonters." Another senator opposed the nomination because, she said, Drescher "still argued against the release of Madawi and Ozturk," calling those cases among the reasons she could not support him.
Supporters framed their votes around process, professional duty and institutional stability. "This vote for Michael Drescher is a vote for the principle that we evaluate judicial nominees on their qualifications, their intelligence, their integrity, their fitness for the bench," said a senator who announced a yes vote after describing an extensive review of Drescher’s record. That senator recounted one episode in which he said Drescher helped secure a written order from a judge that led to a detainee's release: "Ten minutes later, he had it from Judge Sessions ... and she was then freed without condition."
The Senate took a roll-call vote after a request for individual recorded votes. During the roll call, named senators registered yes or no votes; when votes were equally divided pursuant to the Vermont Constitution (chapter 2, article 19) and Senate rule 72, the president of the Senate cast the deciding vote in favor of confirmation, producing the 16-15 margin.
The debate repeatedly returned to two central themes: whether a lawyer who represents the federal government in controversial cases should be disqualified from the bench, and whether rejecting a nominee would politicize the court and deter skilled public servants from government work. Opponents said the prosecutions demonstrated a lack of empathy and poor judgment; supporters said Drescher followed professional obligations and preserved the functioning of the justice system.
The Senate adjourned after the vote and posted routine committee scheduling announcements. The confirmation means Drescher’s appointment to the Vermont Supreme Court is finalized; no further action by the Senate on this nomination was recorded during the session.
No formal amendments or additional conditions were attached to the confirmation in the recorded proceedings.
