Background
Barney was born in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont to Albert Wilkins Barney Senior and Marion Bisbee Barney.
Barney was born in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont to Albert Wilkins Barney Senior and Marion Bisbee Barney.
He graduated from Saint Johnsbury Academy in 1938 and received his undergraduate degree from Yale University.
He became an associated justice of the Vermont Supreme Court in 1959. He became chief justice in 1974, and served until his retirement in 1982. As a superior court judge, Barney presided over Vermont"s last death penalty case in 1953.
During World World War II, Barney served in the United States Navy.
Barney owned a restaurant and received his law degree from the Harvard Law School. Lower courts
Barney was admitted to the bar in 1949.
He served in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1951. Barney became a municipal court judge in 1951 and in 1952 was appointed a superior court judge.
State Supreme Court
In 1959, Barney was elected to the Vermont Supreme Court and in 1974, became chief justice.
He retired from the bench in 1982. When Barney was a state court judge, he presided over the trial of Donald DeMag. Convicted and given a death sentence, Demag was the last person to be executed in the electric chair before the state abolished the death penalty.
Barney was active in the American Academy of Judicial Education.
In the 1980s, Barney served regularly as a retired justice. Until 2006, he also continued to serve on the state supreme court.
In making any law work, it is necessary that it be accepted by the general public that this law is fair and necessary.. The will of the people must be mixed into every decision of the court.
-Albert West. Barney, after being sworn in Chief Justice, 1974
lieutenant"s not a job, lieutenant"s such a responsibility.
-Albert West. Barney, after retiring as Chief Justice, 1982.
In 1979, the American Judges Association presented Barney its Award of Merit which was given to a judge for outstanding contributions to the judiciary. This award is now called the Chief Justice Richard W. Holmes Award. In 1997, Barney received the Dwayne B. Sherrer Alumni Distinguished Service Award from Saint Johnsbury Academy.
He was Chair, Conference of Chief Justices from 1981 to 1982 and a member of National Center for State Courts in 1981.
