Senate confirms three superior court judges: Battles, Malone, Thiebaud

The Vermont Senate confirmed three superior court judges during the session, voting to approve Benjamin Battles, Rachel Marie Malone and Rory Thomas Thiebaud following committee reports and roll calls.

Benjamin Battles of Waterbury was confirmed to a term beginning Dec. 12, 2023 and ending March 31, 2026 (or until a successor is appointed and qualified). The senator from Chittenden Central recounted Battles’ legal career — including work in New York, service in Vermont beginning in 2013, and teaching at the Vermont Law and Graduate School — and noted his specialty in appellate and constitutional litigation and complex civil litigation. The sponsor told senators the committee vote was 40–1 with one recusal because of a professional relationship. A roll call resulted in a recorded tally of 27–0 for confirmation; the clerk announced Battles confirmed as a superior court judge.

Rachel Marie Malone of South Burlington was confirmed to a term from Dec. 12, 2023 to March 31, 2026 (or until successor qualified). The reporting senator described Malone’s background (bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University; J.D. from Georgetown; experience as a public defender and judicial master in Chittenden and Franklin counties) and said the committee recommended confirmation. The roll call produced a 29–0 tally; the clerk announced Malone confirmed as a superior court judge.

Rory Thomas Thiebaud of Cabot was reported as having earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and a J.D. from Vermont Law School, served eight years as a judge advocate in the U.S. Army and later as a deputy state’s attorney and state’s attorney in Washington County. The committee recommended confirmation and the Senate confirmed Thiebaud by roll call, with the clerk announcing a 29–0 result.

Each confirmation was preceded by a committee report on the candidate’s background and followed by a roll call at the request of a senator. The confirmations concluded a multi-candidate segment of the calendar before routine announcements and an adjournment vote.