Vermont Governor Launches Special Court to Address Chittenden County Case Backlog
Statewide, over 44% of all pending court cases involve individuals with three or more pending matters. The backlog slows down justice but also impacts public safety.
Burlington has seen rising concerns about quality-of-life crimes, such as disorderly conduct and low-level offenses that affect daily life for residents. These issues often involve a small group of repeat offenders who struggle with substance use, mental health challenges, or other barriers to services. This has led to a growing backlog in the local court system, where cases pile up, delaying trials and straining resources for police, prosecutors, and courts.
In Chittenden County, which includes Burlington, there are currently 50 to 70 individuals who account for a large share of pending cases. Many of these people have five or more open dockets—meaning multiple charges awaiting resolution. Statewide, over 44% of all pending court cases involve individuals with three or more pending matters. This backlog not only slows down justice but also impacts public safety, as delayed accountability can reduce the effectiveness of enforcement efforts by the Burlington Police Department.
A New Initiative: The Special Chittenden County Community Accountability Court
To tackle this, Governor Phil Scott announced the creation of a Special Chittenden County Community Accountability Court on October 10, 2025. This is the first step in a multi-part plan to improve public safety and restore trust in the criminal justice system. The court will focus on “service-resistant repeat offenders”—people who have not succeeded in existing diversion programs and continue to cycle through the system.
The initiative will run for 3 to 4 months as a surge of resources to clear the backlog. Key elements include:
Appointment of a Special Prosecutor: The governor will appoint a dedicated prosecutor to handle these high-volume cases, working closely with local partners to prioritize individuals with multiple open dockets awaiting trial.
Dedicated Judge: The Vermont Judiciary will assign a specific judge to oversee these cases, ensuring focused attention and faster processing.
Rapid-Intervention Approach: The court aims to provide quick court interactions paired with connections to treatment and services, moving away from delays toward timely accountability and support.
This setup is designed to reduce the time between an offense and its consequences, which officials say is crucial for deterrence and helping individuals access needed help.
Collaboration Across Vermont’s Justice and Support Systems
The announcement comes after discussions among a wide range of partners, including:
The Vermont Judiciary
The Defender General’s Office
The Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George
Burlington city officials, including Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak
Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark
Local law enforcement
Human services providers
The Defender General’s Office, led by Matt Valerio, has pledged to allocate enough resources to support the effort, ensuring fair representation for defendants. This teamwork highlights a shared commitment to addressing the backlog without overwhelming the existing system.
Voices from Vermont Leaders
Officials involved in the initiative emphasized its importance for both safety and efficiency.
Governor Phil Scott stated, “This is an important first step towards improving public safety in Burlington and enhancing public trust in our criminal justice system. By surging resources over a 3–4-month period towards reducing the backlog, we can hold repeat offenders accountable, while also connecting people to the services they need.”
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak added, “These additional resources for the Chittenden County Superior Court will help alleviate the backlog, ensure people receive a trial, and provide the kind of immediate follow up that is necessary for BPD’s enforcement activities to be most effective. These resources were identified by both the City and the State as an area for possible support, and I am grateful to Governor Scott and his team for their work to bring this online. I also appreciate the Governor’s willingness to discuss both immediate solutions like this one, as well as longer-term strategies to support Burlington in addressing the challenges facing our community and others across Vermont.”
Chief Justice Paul Reiber of the Vermont Supreme Court supported the plan, saying, “The Judiciary supports the Governor’s initiative to provide dedicated resources and services for cases pending in the Chittenden Criminal Division involving defendants with five or more open dockets. This initiative aligns with the Judiciary’s ongoing efforts to address the backlog of cases, to support the timely resolution of cases, to promote appropriate outcomes, and to enhance public safety.”
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George explained the need, noting, “To truly address the crisis of backlogged cases and persistent, low-level crime, we need dedicated courtroom space for a rapid-intervention accountability court. We have 50 to 70 people in Chittenden County repeatedly causing harm to multiple victims—many struggling with substance use and mental health issues—who are not succeeding in existing diversion and deflection programs.
When a handful of people are cycling through the system with multiple pending dockets, we must pivot from simply delaying accountability to providing quick, meaningful court interaction paired with necessary treatment. This intervention is critical to public safety and reducing the massive strain these cases place on our resources.”
Attorney General Charity Clark expressed gratitude, saying, “I’m grateful for this collaboration and committed to supporting this initiative and the City of Burlington.”
Tim Lueders-Dumont, director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, provided context on the broader challenges: “The data is clear: the surge in serious violent crime, including a nearly 170% increase in homicides over the last decade, is pushing every other case type to the back of the judicial line. Our courts and State’s Attorneys are clearing cases at over a 100% rate, yet a staggering list of over 22,000 cases remain.
Statewide, we know that over 44% of all pending dockets relate to persons with three or more pending cases. Establishing a rapid-intervention accountability court is a practical and necessary step to reduce the time between offense and consequence for repeat offenders—specifically for those 50-70 individuals who occupy an outsized amount of court time and law enforcement time in Chittenden County. Delayed accountability damages deterrence, and we must secure this space and time to deliver swift, fair justice.”
The Bigger Picture: A Multi-Point Plan for Burlington
This special court is just the starting point. Governor Scott has proposed a broader plan to Burlington officials, focusing on short-term actions the state can take right away. Details of the full plan will be released next week. The governor acknowledged that while immediate steps are vital, longer-term policy changes are needed to tackle the root causes of these issues, such as systemic gaps in mental health and substance use support.
What Happens Next
The special prosecutor and dedicated judge will be appointed soon, with the court expected to begin operations in the coming weeks to start addressing the targeted cases. Over the next 3 to 4 months, officials will monitor progress on reducing the backlog and connecting individuals to services. Next week, the governor’s office will share more on the multi-point plan, outlining additional state support for Burlington. In the meantime, ongoing collaboration among partners will continue to refine this approach and ensure it meets community needs.