William D. Cohen

William David Cohen^[1] was born in Queens, New York on January 21, 1957, the son of Herbert and Sandra (Jacobs) Cohen.^[2][3][4][5] He attended the public schools of Rutland City, Vermont and graduated from Rutland High School in 1975.^[6] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Science from George Washington University in 1980 and a Juris Doctor degree from Vermont Law School in 1984.^[6]

While attending college, Cohen worked in the Washington, DC office of US Senator Robert Stafford.^[4] While attending law school, he worked as a clerk in the legal department of the Central Vermont Public Service Corporation, followed by a part-time position as a clerk in the office of the state’s attorney for Rutland County.^[4]

After attaining admission to the bar, Cohen served as a deputy state’s attorney for Rutland County from 1984 to 1986.^[6] From 1986 until 1999, Cohen was an attorney in private practice.^[6] In 1999, he was appointed a judge of the Vermont Superior Court by Governor Howard Dean.^[6]

In December 2019, Governor Phil Scott appointed Cohen to serve as an associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, succeeding Marilyn Skoglund.^[7] He was sworn into office on December 20, 2019.^[8]

Cohen retired from the court on December 27, 2025.^[9]

In 1990, Cohen married Barbara Kinsman Buck.^[2][10] They are the parents of a daughter Alix, a resident of San Francisco, and a son, Robert, a resident of Killington, Vermont.^[10]