Dui Attorney Plans Court Fight as Vermont Panel Seeks Immediate Suspension of Addison County Prosecutor
A Vermont lawyer discipline official has asked the Vermont Supreme Court to order the “immediate suspension” of Addison County State’s Attorney Eva Vekos’ law license, a move her dui attorney says he plans to oppose. The court is set to take up the request at a hearing on March 19.
State Disciplinary Counsel Seeks ‘Immediate’ Suspension
The request comes in a 23-page filing from Jon Alexander, disciplinary counsel for the Vermont Professional Responsibility Board. The filing cites Vekos’ conviction for drunken driving late last year after police said she drove to a suspicious death scene intoxicated in January 2024.
In the filing submitted to the Vermont Supreme Court last week, Alexander also pointed to Vekos’ interactions with police on the night of her arrest as well as after the incident as reasons he is seeking an immediate suspension pending disciplinary proceedings before a panel for the Vermont Professional Responsibility Board.
Alexander wrote that Vekos committed the crime during the course of her law practice and performance of public duties. He also alleged that, in an effort to avoid prosecution for her DUI, she committed additional and related professional misconduct, including abusing her public office, attempting to improperly influence police officers, and interfering with the administration of justice.
Dui Attorney Says Filing Will Oppose Suspension Request
David Sleigh, Vekos’ dui attorney, said Wednesday that he plans to submit a filing opposing the request to immediately suspend his client’s law license.
Sleigh said there is a question about whether a DUI conviction violates the conduct rules and argued that, even if the court found a violation, the likely sanction would be no more severe than a public reprimand.
Vekos did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday seeking comment.
What’s Known About the DUI Case and What Happens Next
Vekos pleaded no contest in December to a charge of drunken driving and received a six-month deferred sentence. Under the terms described in the filing, a deferred sentence allows the conviction to be cleared from her record provided she does not commit any violations during that six-month period.
The suspension request also arrives amid ongoing political pressure for Vekos to resign. She has faced calls to step down from the leaders of the Vermont Democratic and Progressive parties and from Republican Gov. Phil Scott, following ethics complaints stemming from how crime victims said she treated them. Vekos has challenged those allegations and maintained she does not plan to resign.
The Vermont Supreme Court oversees the discipline of all judicial officers and attorneys and is scheduled to address the immediate-suspension request at the March 19 hearing.
The filing seeking immediate suspension centers primarily on the drunken-driving case and does not include information regarding allegations of misconduct discussed in a separate internal investigation conducted by a law firm hired by the Vermont Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, which found what it described as “significant failures” related to ethical and legal responsibilities.
The court has previously taken action related to Vekos’ license. Shortly after her 2024 arrest, her law license was temporarily suspended after Alexander said she failed to cooperate with his investigation into her paid medical leave that followed the drunken-driving charge. The Vermont Supreme Court lifted that suspension after roughly three weeks, ruling she had come into compliance with the investigation.
Next, the Supreme Court’s March 19 hearing will determine how the justices respond to the latest request for immediate suspension while the disciplinary process continues.
