[1] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, in 1977 from Yale University.

In 2013 he succeeded Brian L. Burgess as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and he served until 2014.

[6] A hearing on his nomination before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee was held on June 4, 2014.

[8] On June 19, 2014 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination.

[5] He took the oath of office during his judicial investiture ceremony on August 12, 2014, and he maintained chambers in the United States Courthouse in Rutland, Vermont.