The nominations fill seats vacated by the retirements of Justice William Cohen and Justice Karen Carroll and would bring extensive federal prosecution experience to Vermont’s highest court at a moment when Drescher has been overseeing the Trump administration’s federal enforcement priorities in the state.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott on Monday appointed two former federal prosecutors to the state’s Supreme Court, naming Christina Nolan and Michael Drescher to fill two recent vacancies on the five-member court. Both appointments require confirmation by the Vermont Senate.
The nominations fill seats vacated by the retirements of Justice William Cohen, who retired late last year, and Justice Karen Carroll, who retired a few months earlier. Scott, a Republican, said both nominees were forwarded to him by the Judicial Nominating Board as well-qualified candidates.
“These appointments are important to maintain the trust of Vermonters in a fair and independent legal system,” Scott said in the announcement. “Christina and Michael both demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to public service, the rule of law, justice and will be great additions to the Court.”
Nolan, of Burlington, served as U.S. attorney for Vermont from 2017 to 2021 during President Donald Trump’s first term. She joined the U.S. attorney’s office in Vermont in 2010 and was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate for the top post in 2017. Following her federal service, she practiced law at the Burlington firm Sheehey Furlong and Behm. In 2022, she ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate but lost in the primary.
“This is an opportunity like no other to continue to make a positive difference in the lives of Vermonters and to uphold the rule of the law and the Constitution,” Nolan said. “I am humbled by the Governor’s confidence in me and by this new opportunity to serve the state I call home.”
Drescher, of Hinesburg, has worked as a federal prosecutor in Vermont for more than two decades. He took over as acting U.S. attorney for Vermont after Trump returned to office in his second term. After serving the maximum time allowed by law in the acting role, his title changed to first assistant U.S. attorney, though he said he continued to oversee the office. The U.S. Department of Justice website lists the U.S. attorney for Vermont post as vacant; it is unclear why Trump did not put forward Drescher’s name for permanent Senate confirmation.
As the state’s top federal prosecutor, Drescher led immigration enforcement efforts in Vermont and filed federal charges carrying the death penalty — the first time such charges had been brought in Vermont cases in years.
“I have spent the last 30 years working with and appearing before Vermont judges in state and federal courts,” Drescher said. “Drawing on that experience, I pledge to help lead a court system in which everyone is treated with dignity and respect, justice is administered fairly and efficiently, and individual rights are protected.”