MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Crawford is in line to become the state’s next federal judge.
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy said Monday he was recommending that President Barack Obama nominate Crawford, who joined the state Supreme Court last fall.
Crawford’s name was one of two finalists chosen by the non-partisan Vermont Judicial Nominating Commission to fill a vacancy that will occur when U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions takes senior status later this year and reduces his workload.
Tradition holds that a state’s senior U.S. senator of the president’s party recommends candidates for federal judgeships. The president then makes the nomination, which must be approved by the Senate.
Crawford was appointed to the state Supreme Court last October after serving more than a decade as a state court judge.
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