Alison Arms at a glance
- Current role
- Superior Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Vermont · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Alison Arms
Superior Judge · Vermont Superior Court
Judicial assignments
- Vermont Superior Court, Addison Unit, Family DivisionSuperior Judge — primary assignmentSource checked October 15, 2026. Roster source
- Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Unit, Family DivisionSuperior Judge — backup coverage
Backup/coverage assignment in the official rotation order; not the primary resident judge.
Source checked October 15, 2026. Roster source - Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Unit, Criminal DivisionSuperior Judge — backup coverage
Backup/coverage assignment in the official rotation order; not the primary resident judge.
Source checked October 15, 2026. Roster source - Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Unit, Civil DivisionSuperior Judge — backup coverage
Backup/coverage assignment in the official rotation order; not the primary resident judge.
Source checked October 15, 2026. Roster source
These published assignments do not certify a complete bench.
Biography
Professional career
- Vermont Superior Court judge; appointed by Governor Peter Shumlin on July 20, 2011
- Assistant federal defender in Burlington, 2008–2011; also worked in private criminal defense in 2008
- Trial and research attorney in the Chittenden County Public Defender's Office, 1999–2007; public defender in Manhattan, 1994–1999
- Adjunct professor at the University of Vermont and instructor at Denver Business College
Education
- University of Denver, Sturm College of Law — J.D. (1994)
- in political science and history — University of Vermont — B.A. (1991)
Additional information
- In May 2023, Judge Arms issued a ruling declaring the Vermont Department of Mental Health in contempt of court for refusing to conduct a court‐ordered competency evaluation, imposing a $3,000 fine on the commissioner
- Presiding judge of the Addison Family Division in Middlebury; previous assignments include Chittenden Probate and the Franklin and Grand Isle civil, criminal and family divisions
- Criticized the department’s “nonsensical assertions” and “continued obstruction” of the criminal justice process, emphasizing the need for due process in criminal trials
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Exhibits
Statewide
Vermont Judiciary directs users to upload non-flat-PDF digital exhibits, including audio, video, and active hyperlinks, through its Digital Evidence Portal; flat PDFs should not be filed in that portal.
The Digital Evidence Portal is to be used solely for uploading exhibits in file formats other than flat PDF format. Examples ... include audio recordings, video recordings, or active hyperlinks to web-based content. Flat PDF files should not be filed in the Digital Evidence Portal.Vermont Judiciary Digital Evidence Portal ↗
Sources
Identity source checked July 27, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 11, 2026.
Vermont Judiciary official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View Vermont Judiciary official judicial roster ↗Vermont Judiciary Digital Evidence Portal
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View Vermont Judiciary Digital Evidence Portal ↗