Scott names ‘shoe bomber’ prosecutor as new judge

By Guy Page on September 30, 2025

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Owyang also a Vermont utility lawyer

by Guy Page
Gov. Phil Scott on Sept. 29 appointed Colin Owyang, a former federal prosecutor and utility executive, as Vermont’s newest Superior Court judge.

Owyang most recently held leadership roles at VELCO and Vermont Gas. Earlier, he served as First Deputy Attorney General under Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and as assistant U.S. attorney in Boston, where he prosecuted mobster Stephen Flemmi and Al-Qaeda terrorist Richard Reid, a British terrorist who perpetrated the failed shoe bombing attempt against a transatlantic flight in 2001. Reid was sentenced to three life terms plus 110 years in prison without parole and was transferred to ADX Florence, a super maximum security prison in Colorado.

Owyang also worked in Burlington, Washington, D.C., and with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section. A graduate of Yale and the University of Michigan Law School, Owyang began his career clerking for three federal judges.

Superior Court Judge nominee Colin Owyang (left) successfully prosecuted ‘shoe bomber’ Robert Reid (center). Sen. Sam Douglass (right) has launched a statewide tour to raise awareness for bi-partisan bill to expand access to recovery housing.

Douglass promotes recovery bill
Sen. Samuel Douglass (R-Orleans) has launched a statewide tour of Vermont’s certified recovery residences to promote S.157, legislation aimed at strengthening standards and expanding access to recovery housing.

Douglass is partnering with Recovery Partners of Vermont and the Vermont Alliance for Recovery Residences to showcase the role of these facilities in supporting addiction recovery.

The tour will include stops in Johnson, Rutland, Bennington, Essex Junction, White River Junction, Derby, Springfield, and Barre through November. Every state senator has co-sponsored S.157 ahead of the 2026 session.

Burlington least affordable housing market
Burlington ranks as the least affordable metro area in the nation, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta data released Sept. 27.

The city scored an affordability index of 21.6, meaning a median-income family can afford less than a quarter of a median-priced home. An index of 100 represents full affordability.

While housing affordability has declined nationwide, Burlington’s ranking highlights growing concerns about costs and access across Vermont.