Justice Beth Robinson received a B.A. from Dartmouth College in 1986 and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1989. She clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (1989–1990), practiced in the law firm of Langrock Sperry & Wool for 18 years (1993–2010), and served as counsel to Governor Peter Shumlin for one year (2011). Robinson served as co-counsel in and argued Baker v. State, the landmark 1999 case that led to Vermont becoming the first state to enact civil unions. She was also subsequently involved in the 2009 legislative battle to enact same-sex marriage, chairing Vermont Freedom to Marry. Governor Shumlin appointed her to the Vermont Supreme Court as an associate justice on November 28, 2011.