The Vermont Supreme Court has temporarily suspended the law license of Addison County State's Attorney Eva Vekos, who faces a pending criminal DUI case. The court ruled on Wednesday that Vekos impeded a parallel probe into her fitness to practice law.

The interim suspension of Vekos' license does not prevent her from staying on as the county's top prosecutor, but it does limit the duties she can perform.

Vermont State Police arrested Vekos in January when troopers said she arrived drunk to the scene of a suspicious death. The elected prosecutor refused to submit to sobriety tests, state police alleged.



Vekos pleaded not guilty and has continued to represent the state in court, including to prosecute other DUI cases. Shortly after her arrest, however, Vekos took what her attorney, David Sleigh, described as a"medical leave" until she could become "fully grounded and up to the task" of carrying out her work. Her leave lasted nearly three weeks.

Separate from the ongoing criminal case, the high court's intervention on Wednesday represents another threat to Vekos' job. Attorneys licensed to practice law in Vermont are subject to a code of conduct that is overseen by a state-run Professional Responsibility Board.

Following Vekos' arrest, a lawyer for the board opened a professional misconduct investigation against her.

As part of the probe, the investigator asked Vekos and her attorney for information about her medical leave to discern whether she was "physically or mentally incapacitated from practicing law." The investigator also asked to examine Vekos' medical records or to speak to clinicians who were providing care to her.

Vekos and Sleigh did not reply to several requests, other than to deny that she had any relevant health issues. On March 1, the investigator asked the state Supreme Court to suspend her license on the grounds that she was not complying with the probe. The court held a hearing about the request on March 20, then issued its written decision on Wednesday.

The five justices unanimously concluded that Vekos did not cooperate with the investigator's "lawful demand" for information. By doing so, the court found, Vekos was impeding the investigator's ability to "assess how to protect the public."

Vekos' failure to cooperate "presents a substantial threat of harm to the public," the justices wrote.

The court did not specifically order Vekos to hand over her medical records to the Professional Responsibility Board, noting that state rules allow her to formally object to such a request.

In an interview, Sleigh said the court's ruling does not make clear what information Vekos failed to provide. He emailed the board's disciplinary counsel on Wednesday morning to ask what the investigator needs.

"Our goal is to comply with the opinion and order and get Eva reinstated as quickly as we can," Sleigh said.

Sleigh said he wasn't sure whether Vekos was working on Wednesday or what job duties she might perform while the suspension is in place.

"I don't know what the procedure is going to be," he said. "She can't practice law, but you don't have to be a lawyer to be the state's attorney."