2018 Special Session

Change Session

Representative Ben W. Joseph

District

Grand Isle-Chittenden

Party

Democrat

Seat Number

Email

BJoseph@leg.state.vt.us

Phone

(802) 828-2228

Mailing Address

254 Knights Cove Rd., North Hero, VT 05474

Committees

House Committee on Education
Joint Legislative Child Protection Oversight Committee
Canvassing Committee

Biography

BEN W. JOSEPH.
I am a retired Vermont Superior Court Judge, having served full time from 1998 to 2010 and part time from 2010 to 2015. During my time on the bench, I presided in Criminal, Civil, and Family courts as a trial judge. In 2009, I instituted the Rapid Referral program in the Chittenden Country Criminal Court, which resulted in pre-trial drug treatment for hundreds of defendants in DUI and other substance abuse cases. There was a study of the first 171 young defendants who completed that pre-trial treatment program. In the three years following treatment, 18 percent were arrested again. The recidivism rate for a comparable group of 300 defendants who did not receive treatment was 84 percent. Before being appointed to the bench, I served as a Public Defender in Burlington for six years. During that time I represented hundreds of defendants and completed 32 jury trials.
After graduating from law school at the University of Pennsylvania, I worked as a public defender in Philadelphia for three years. Next I was a trial attorney for the U.S. Civil Service Commission, working out of Washington, D.C. In that job, I prosecuted a case against the Governor of American Samoa for interfering in a referendum on the issue of self-government. From 1974 to 1977, I served as First Assistant Special Prosecutor for the State of Pennsylvania, investigating and prosecuting police and political corruption cases. I managed the Legal Aid office for South Philadelphia for three years. From 1977 to 1990, I was in a private general practice of law and, at the same time, I was an adjunct professor, teaching trial practice at the Rutgers Law School in Camden, New Jersey.
I am a widower with two children and five grandchildren. My wife was an attorney who worked as a prosecutor in the Franklin County State’s Attorney’s office for three years and, at a different time, was the Executive Director of the Vermont Network of organizations helping victims of domestic violence. I have lived in North Hero, Vermont for 26 years.

Bills and Resolutions Sponsored by Representative Joseph

Bill	Title	Act #

Roll Call Votes by Representative Joseph

Bill	Question	Vote	Pass/Fail	Details

House Committees

Senate Committees

Committee Types

All Committee Meetings

Research

2018 Special Session

Bills and Resolutions Sponsored by Representative Joseph

Roll Call Votes by Representative Joseph

2018 Special Session

Legislators

Search

Bills

Resolutions

Acts

Research

House Committees

Senate Committees

Committee Types

All Committee Meetings

Research

Statutes

Constitution

Acts

Search

Rules

The House of Representatives

Officers

Calendars & Journals

Rules

Search

Related Information

The Senate

Officers

Calendars & Journals

Rules

Search

Related Information

Reports

Research

PRA Exemptions

History

The State House

History

Civic Education

Galleries

Events

House

Senate

Staff Offices

Contact

Career Opportunities

2018 Special Session

Bills and Resolutions Sponsored by Representative Joseph

2018 Special Session

Roll Call Votes by Representative Joseph

2018 Special Session

2018 Special Session