Justice Nancy Jear Waples was born in Toronto, Canada, and is the daughter of Chinese immigrants who fled the communist revolution, eventually settling just outside of New York City. She grew up working in her family’s Chinese restaurant and eventually obtained U.S. citizenship in 1977. Justice Waples attended the College of William and Mary, graduating with her B.A. in 1982 before attending St. John’s University School of Law, where she earned her J.D. in 1987. She began her legal career in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where she spent time in both the appeals bureau and trial division, honing her skills as both an appellate and trial attorney. Justice Waples relocated to Vermont in 1993 and joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the criminal division, prosecuting a wide range of federal firearms, narcotics, fraud, child pornography, and immigration offenses. During her tenure, she served as the Project Safe Neighborhoods Coordinator, supervising gun violence prosecutions that overlapped between state and federal agencies.

After her career as a prosecutor, Justice Waples entered private practice as a criminal defense attorney and managing partner at the Burlington-based firm Hoff Curtis. In recognition of her experience and commitment to justice, she was appointed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to serve as the Criminal Justice Act Coordinator for the District of Vermont. In this role, she was the liaison between the federal courts and the panel of private attorneys representing indigent clients in federal criminal cases. Outside of the legal profession, she has contributed to her community with her civic engagement.  She has served as president of the Board of Directors of Spectrum Youth and Family Services, president of the Vermont Youth Orchestra, as well as public relations chair and then vice-president of the Junior League of Champlain Valley.  She also provided translation and pro bono legal services to the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.

After a lengthy career as an attorney, Justice Waples was appointed to the Vermont Superior Court in December of 2014.  As the first person of color to serve on the trial bench, Justice Waples would preside in almost every county in the state, hearing a variety of cases that included criminal, civil, juvenile, and family matters. After almost seven years of service on the Superior Court, Justice Waples was appointed to, and sworn in as the 137th Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court on April 15, 2022. Not only does Justice Waples join the rich tradition of history that the Court represents, but she creates a little as well, being only the 5th woman and 1st person of color to become a Justice since its inception. Justice Waples is married to Greg Waples, Chief of Appeals in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont. They share two sons, one of whom is an attorney at a large firm in New York City, and the other, serves as a law clerk in the Court of International Trade. Finally, as avid animal lovers, the Waples’ family is completed by their three cats and four dogs.