The justice system isn’t always easy to understand. Throughout the campaign, I will share a series of videos to help Chittenden County residents understand the Office of the State’s Attorney, the work we do, and how it impacts our communities.
COURT BACKLOG: UPDATE
Our first episode of “Season 2026”: Court Backlog: Update is a report on the progress made in the last 4 years and what that means moving forward.
Since 2020, we have faced an enormous case backlog. This has made it incredibly difficult to prioritize and resolve nonviolent offenses, leading to frustration in our community about whether folks were being held accountable. But through coordination between law enforcement, director service providers, community leaders, and more, we have cleared over 1,000 cases that would not have otherwise been prioritized.
Episode 8: 2026
Episode 7: 2022
COURT BACKLOG
Our last episode of the 2022 “Season”: Court Backlog, is an explanation of why our Court backlog is so significant.
In 2020 the Vermont Supreme Court issued an Emergency Order due to COVID that significantly limits the number of cases being heard in Courthouses around Vermont and dramatically impacts the way in which the judicial process operates.
That order expired on August 31st, 2022, nearly three years after the initial court closure. Since re-opening, Courts and State’s Attorney’s offices have been working tirelessly to address the significant backlogs.
While we dug ourselves out of that backlog the Court prioritized the scheduling of violent offenses for trial, further adding to the backlog of misdemeanor and nonviolent offenses.
Episode 6: 2022
PRE-TRIAL DETENTION
Episode 6: 2022
Vermont law and the United States Constitution require that every person charged with a crime be presumed innocent. That is not a technicality, it is the cornerstone of our entire criminal legal system. Because of that presumption, the burden of holding someone in jail before they have been convicted of anything is incredibly high, and it should be.
It is also worth addressing cash bail directly. Using it to detain people who simply cannot afford their freedom does not make our community safer. It only makes our legal system less fair. Wealth should never determine whether someone waits for their day in court at home or behind bars.
Episode 5: 2022
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Restorative Justice is one of the most powerful tools we have for true accountability, and it is often misunderstood.
This process gives victims significantly more power than our traditional court system. They are able to voice what they need and how they want harm to be repaired. The results speak for themselves: victims are 30% more likely to be satisfied with the outcome of their case through a restorative process, with an overall satisfaction rate of 85%.
If restorative justice means victims are more satisfied and offenders are less likely to re-offend, that is victim-centered, that is accountability, and that is what real public safety looks like.
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT SAFETY
I am the only lawyer in a family of nurses. My grandmother, mother, brother, and sister-in-law have all dedicated their careers to nursing, and from an early age they instilled in me a deep appreciation for service, sacrifice, and compassion.
I want to voice my full support for the nurses at UVMMC's Emergency Department, who are facing staffing shortages, wage inequities, and workplace violence. They are essential members of our community and deserve the resources necessary to do this work safely.
If you hear that my office refuses to prosecute assaults against Emergency Department staff, please get curious. Many of the cases brought to my attention were never referred to my office by law enforcement in the first place. When they are, we pursue accountability in a manner consistent with our values. Prosecution, however, is only one part of a much larger equation.
Healthcare professionals deserve safe staffing, competitive wages, and accessible healthcare. I stand with them, and all nurses, as they advocate for what they have rightfully earned.
Episode 4: 2022
Episode 3: 2022
CRIME RATES
There is a targeted campaign of disinformation happening around crime in our community and it is scaring people unnecessarily.
When someone tells you crime is at a record high? Get curious. Yes, certain crimes ticked up in 2021 and 2022, but overall, crime is still nearly a third lower than it was ten years ago. That's not opinion, that's data.
Are there concerning incidents of violence in our community? Absolutely. And when police solve those cases and send them to my office, we are working to hold people accountable. But here's something worth sitting with: policing, prosecuting, and incarcerating people alone does not make communities safer. What actually works is investing in people. Food security, housing, economic opportunity, that's what moves the needle, and the facts and experts in this field back that up.
Our community is safer now than it was five years ago. Don't let fear mongering tell you otherwise.
Episode 2: 2022
POLICIES
This episode is all about transparency and what policies my office actually has, where to find them, and how to spot misinformation.
When I became State's Attorney in 2017, I committed to being open with our community about what my office does and why. That means everything is in writing. My Mission Statement, Bill of Values, bail policy, racial equity policy, fair and impartial policing policy, truancy policy, nonpublic safety stop policy, and more. It's all on my website under Platform and Policies.
So here's the thing, if someone tells you my office has a policy of not prosecuting serious offenses? Get curious! If we have a policy, it exists in writing and it's publicly available. No guessing, no taking anyone's word for it. Go check for yourself.
Episode 1: 2022
CONDITIONS OF RELEASE
Something I didn't expect in this primary? How much misinformation about the law is actually being spread in our community. So let's clear some things up.
Here's the big one: State's Attorneys don't impose conditions of release. Judges do. We can request certain conditions, the defense can push back or suggest alternatives, but at the end of the day? It's not my call. It's not any State's Attorney's call. So if someone tells you they would "give" better conditions of release, or that my office should have, they're getting the law wrong.
And if a Judge does determine someone is a flight risk, they're required by law to impose the least restrictive conditions possible. That's not optional.
Friends, facts matter. Anyone who wants to be State's Attorney, myself included, has to actually know the law and be straight with you about it. We deserve better than misinformation and fear mongering. Ask questions, demand answers, and stand up for the truth.