Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement following the Vermont Senate’s confirmation of Judge Nancy Waples to the Vermont Supreme Court:
“I’m thrilled that the Vermont Senate has unanimously confirmed my appointment of Judge Nancy Waples to the State’s highest court. Judge Waples is a distinguished public servant, an accomplished jurist and will bring an invaluable perspective to the bench.
“I know that she will be an exemplary addition to the Court, and I look forward to having the honor of swearing her in to the post in the coming days.”
Governor Scott nominated Waples, of Hinesburg, for the Vermont Supreme Court on February 25. Judge Waples has served on the Vermont Superior Court since 2015.
Judge Waples is the daughter of Chinese immigrants who fled the communist revolution in China. Because her parents were unable to immigrate to the US due to the exclusion laws, they made their way to Chinatown in Toronto, Canada. When the exclusion laws were replaced by ethnic quotas, only her father could immigrate to the US and the family was separated for four years. When they were able to reunite in the US, her family earned a living, working together, in their small Chinese restaurant outside of New York City. Growing up working in her parents’ restaurant, she learned to speak English at the age of nine.
After graduation from law school, Judge Waples began her career as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York City. She split her tenure between the appeals bureau and the trial division. She was also assigned to the civil litigation unit, where she represented the district attorney in civil actions. She also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Vermont. She served in the criminal division in the Rutland Office prosecuting general crimes in the southern part of the state. She has extensive trial and appellate experience in both the state and federal courts of New York and Vermont.
Judge Waples has worked at private firms in Vermont and prior to her appointment as a Vermont Superior Court judge, she served by appointment from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals as the Criminal Justice Act Coordinator for the District of Vermont, through which she oversaw the panel of private attorneys assigned to represent the indigent clients in federal criminal cases. In addition to other civic activity, she has served as president of the Board of Directors of Spectrum Youth and Services, president of the Vermont Youth Orchestra, public relations chair for the Lake Champlain Junior League and volunteered in clinics and provided translation services to the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.
Judge Waples graduated from the College of William and Mary, receiving a Bachelor of Arts, and she earned her Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law. Judge Waples is married to Greg Waples and they have two sons who are currently law students living in New York City. She is fluent in the Chinese language.
Judge Waples will fill the seat previously held by Justice Beth Robinson, who was appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
