Albert Wilkins Barney Jr. (October 23, 1920 – May 10, 2010) was an American lawyer and judge. He became an associated justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

in 1959. He became chief justice in 1974, and served until his retirement in 1982. As a

superior court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

judge, Barney presided over Vermont's last

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

case in 1953.

Early life and education

Barney was born in

St. Johnsbury, Vermont St. Johnsbury (known locally as "St. J") is the shire town (county seat) of Caledonia County, Vermont, Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 7,364. St. Johnsbury is situated ...

to Albert Wilkins Barney Sr. and Marion Bisbee Barney. He graduated from

St. Johnsbury Academy St. Johnsbury Academy (SJA) is an independent, private, coeducational, non-profit boarding and day school located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in the United States. The academy enrolls students in grades 9-12. It was founded by Thaddeus Fairbanks ...

in 1938 and received his undergraduate degree from Yale University. During World War II, Barney served in the United States Navy. Barney owned a restaurant and received his law degree from the

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

Judicial career

Lower courts

Barney was admitted to the bar in 1949. He served in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

in 1951. Barney became a municipal court judge in 1951 and in 1952 was appointed a superior court judge."The Caledonian-Record," May 13, 2010, obituary of Albert W. Barney

State Supreme Court

In 1959, Barney was elected to the Vermont Supreme Court and in 1974, became chief justice. He retired from the bench in 1982.

Death penalty case

When Barney was a state court judge, he presided over the trial of

Donald DeMag Donald Edward DeMag (December 15, 1922 – December 8, 1954) was the last person executed by the U.S. state of Vermont. Life Donald Edward DeMag was born in Burlington, Vermont on December 15, 1922. Prior to his death sentence, DeMag had been ...

. Convicted and given a death sentence, Demag was the last person to be executed in the electric chair before the state abolished the death penalty.

Advocacy

Barney was active in the American Academy of Judicial Education. He was Chair, Conference of Chief Justices from 1981 to 1982 and a member of National Center for State Courts in 1981.

Awards

In 1979, the American Judges Association presented Barney its Award of Merit which was given to a judge for outstanding contributions to the judiciary. This award is now called the Chief Justice Richard W. Holmes Award. In 1997, Barney received the Dwayne B. Sherrer Alumni Distinguished Service Award from St. Johnsbury Academy.

Later life

In the 1980s, Barney served regularly as a retired justice. Until 2006, he also continued to serve on the state supreme court.

Personal life

Barney was married to his wife, Helen, for over 60 years. They had three daughters. Barney died at his home in St. Johnsbury on May 10, 2010.

Selected quotes

In making any law work, it is necessary that it be accepted by the general public that this law is fair and necessary. ... The will of the people must be mixed into every decision of the court. -Albert W. Barney, ''after being sworn in Chief Justice, 1974''

It's not a job, It's such a responsibility. -Albert W. Barney, ''after retiring as Chief Justice, 1982''

Succession

Sources

''Vermont Supreme Court''

Retrieved: 2010-05-15.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barney, Albert W. Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont state court judges Chief justices of the Vermont Supreme Court 1920 births 2010 deaths Yale University alumni Harvard Law School alumni St. Johnsbury Academy alumni People from St. Johnsbury, Vermont 20th-century American judges United States Navy personnel of World War II