MONTPELIER, VT – The state of Vermont has elevated its first openly-gay justice to its highest court. Supreme Court Justice Beth Robinson replaces retiring Justice Denise Johnson. Robinson,46, a former marriage-equality activist said, “I’m humbled by the confidence that Governor [Peter] Shumlin has placed in me, and deeply grateful both for the opportunity I’ve had to serve his administration these past 10 months, and for the chance to serve Vermont’s judiciary in the years to come.”