In an exciting move on Monday, Nov. 1, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Beth Robinson to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. This includes Vermont, Connecticut, and New York. Robinson, who is a lesbian, is the first openly LGBTQ+ woman to serve on any federal circuit court. Robinson was confirmed with a 51-45 vote, including just two Republicans (Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins), as reported by CNN. Robinson, you might remember, was nominated back in August by President Joe Biden.  As an attorney, Robinson worked to advance LGBTQ+ rights, including serving as co-counsel back in the late ‘90s in a landmark case (Baker v. Vermont) over guaranteeing same-sex couples equal protections and rights. This is in addition to practicing employment law, workers' compensation law, personal injury law, and family law in the state of Vermont, as reported by Reuters. Baker v. Vermont, by the way, was the historic case that resulted in Vermont being the first state to recognize civil unions back in 1999. Since 2011, Robinson has served on the Vermont Supreme Court and is the first openly gay Vermont Supreme Court justice.  Read more