Maine Superior Court
The Maine Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction in the Maine state court system.
All state jury trials are held in the Superior Court. The court is located in each of Maine's 16 counties (with two locations in Aroostook County). The Court consists of 17 justices who all have statewide jurisdiction and travel to the different courthouses to hold court.[1] Justices are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate and are appointed to seven-year terms.[2]
Chief Justices of the Maine Superior Court
The position of Chief Justice of the Maine Superior Court was authorized by the Maine Legislature, P.L. 1983, c. 269, § 7, to be effective on January 1, 1984. The Chief Justice is designated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court to "serve at the pleasure and under the supervision of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court and shall be responsible for the operation of the Superior Court." 4 MRSA §101-A.[3]
| Name | Home | Start of Term | End of Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert W. Clifford | Lewiston, Maine | January 1, 1984 | August 1, 1986 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Morton A. Brody | Waterville, Maine | August 1, 1986 | June 6, 1990 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Thomas E. Delahanty II | Lewiston, Maine | June 6, 1990 | June 6, 1995 | 5-year term expired |
| Roland A. Cole | Wells, Maine | June 7, 1995 | June 30, 1997 | 2-year term expired |
| Margaret J. Kravchuk | Bangor, Maine | July 1, 1997 | June 30, 1999 | 2-year term expired |
| Andrew A. Mead | Bangor, Maine | July 1, 1999 | June 30, 2001 | 2-year term expired |
| Nancy D. Mills | Cornville, Maine | July 1, 2001 | September 1, 2004 | Resigned as Chief Justice |
| Thomas E. Humphrey | Sanford, Maine | September 1, 2004 | April 29, 2015 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Roland A. Cole | Wells, Maine | June 10, 2015[4] | 2018 | |
| Robert Mullen | Portland, Maine | 2018 |
Current justices
As of January 30, 2020, the justices of the Maine Superior Court are:
| Name | Date of Birth | Birthplace | Appointed By | Start of Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas D. Warren | Angus King | September 2, 1998[3] | |||
| M. Michaela Murphy | John Baldacci | October 1, 2007[3] | |||
| William R. Anderson | John Baldacci | February 21, 2008 | Formerly on the Maine District Court[3] | ||
| MaryGay Kennedy | John Baldacci | July 30, 2010 | |||
| Ann M. Murray | John Baldacci | July 30, 2010 | |||
| Robert E. Murray | John Baldacci | July 30, 2010 | |||
| John O'Neil | Paul LePage | August 31, 2011 | |||
| Robert Mullen | Paul LePage | February 7, 2014 | |||
| Daniel Billings | Paul LePage | February 7, 2014 | |||
| William R. Stokes | Paul LePage | May 7, 2014 | |||
| Wayne R. Douglas | Paul LePage | May 26, 2015 | |||
| Bruce C. Mallonee | Paul LePage | May 26, 2015 | |||
| Harold Stewart II | Paul LePage | April 14, 2016 | |||
| Valerie Stanfill | Janet Mills | January 8, 2020 | |||
| Stephen Nelson | Janet Mills | January 30, 2020 | |||
| Thomas McKeon | Janet Mills | January 30, 2020 |
Active-retired justices of the Maine Superior Court:
| Name | Start Date of Active-Retired Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| William S. Brodrick | April 24, 1995[3] | |
| Carl O. Bradford[5] | September 2, 1998[3] | |
| S. Kirk Studstrup | October 1, 2007[3] | |
| Donald H. Marden | March 3, 2008[3] | |
| Robert W. Clifford | September 1, 2009 | Retired from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, but is sitting in the Superior Court[3] |
| G. Arthur Brennan | August 26, 2011 | |
| Joyce A. Wheeler | April 2015 | |
| Paul A. Fritzsche | July 2015 | |
| E. Allen Hunter | April 16, 2016 | |
| Roland A. Cole | December 31, 2019 | |
| Nancy D. Mills[6] | December 31, 2019 |
Former justices
| Name | Hometown | Home County | Start of Term | End of Term | Reason for Leaving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles W. Goddard | Cumberland | February 28, 1871 | November 4, 1871 | Resigned | |
| Marquis DeLafayette Lane | Cumberland | November 4, 1871 | September 15, 1872 | Died in office | |
| Joseph W. Symonds | Portland, Maine | Cumberland | September 28, 1872 | October 16, 1878 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| William Penn Whitehouse | Augusta, Maine | Kennebec | February 13, 1878 | April 15, 1890 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Percival Bonney | Cumberland | October 16, 1878 | August 4, 1906 | Died in office | |
| William M. Robinson | Aroostook | March 25, 1885 | July 1, 1893 | Aroostook County Superior Court was abolished on July 1, 1893 | |
| Oliver G. Hall | Kennebec | April 24, 1890 | April 26, 1911 | Retired | |
| Levi Turner | Cumberland | September 21, 1906 | February 19, 1911 | Died in office | |
| Joseph E.F. Connolly | Cumberland | March 2, 1911 | March 2, 1918 | Term expired | |
| Lauren M. Sanborn | Cumberland | March 2, 1918 | March 2, 1925 | Term expired | |
| Fred Emery Beane | Kennebec | April 26, 1911 | May 14, 1924 | Retired (active retired) | |
| Henry W. Oakes | Androscoggin | July 16, 1917 | March 31, 1928 | Retired (active retired) | |
| Bertram L. Smith | Penobscot | July 16, 1919 | November 4, 1924 | Died in office | |
| William H. Fisher | Augusta, Maine | Kennebec | May 21, 1924 | August 31, 1940 | Retired (active retired) |
| George H. Worster | Bangor, Maine | Penobscot | November 25, 1924 | December 21, 1939 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Arthur Chapman | Portland, Maine | Cumberland | March 12, 1925 | November 4, 1942 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Harry Manser | Auburn, Maine | Androscoggin | April 1, 1928 | July 18, 1935 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| George L. Emery | Biddeford, Maine | York | January 1, 1930 | October 2, 1944 | Died in office |
| James H. Hudson | Guilford, Maine | Piscataquis | January 1, 1930 | November 20, 1933 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Sidney St. F. Thaxter | Portland, Maine | Cumberland | January 1, 1930 | October 1, 1930 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Herbert T. Powers | Fort Fairfield, Maine | Aroostook | October 1, 1930 | July 1, 1941 | Retired |
| Herbert E. Holmes | Lewiston, Maine | Androscoggin | November 20, 1933 | May 6, 1935 | Died in office |
| Edward P. Murray | Bangor, Maine | Penobscot | July 18, 1935 | September 18, 1947 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Albert Beliveau | Rumford, Maine | Oxford | July 18, 1935 | March 3, 1954 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Raymond B. Fellows | Bangor, Maine | Penobscot | December 10, 1939 | May 1, 1946 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Robert A. Cony | Augusta, Maine | Kennebec | October 31, 1940 | January 1, 1945 | Died in office |
| Nathaniel Tompkins | Houlton, Maine | Aroostook | October 9, 1941 | August 23, 1945 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Arthur E. Sewall | York, Maine | York | December 17, 1942 | March 3, 1953 | Retired (active retired) |
| Earle L. Russell | Cape Elizabeth, Maine | Cumberland | December 27, 1944 | August 5, 1947 | Died in office |
| Edward F. Merrill | Skowhegan, Maine | Somerset | February 1, 1945 | June 2, 1948 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Robert B. Williamson | Augusta, Maine | Kennebec | September 5, 1945 | May 5, 1949 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Frank A. Tirrell, Jr. | Rockland, Maine | Knox | May 15, 1946 | March 18, 1953 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| William B. Nulty | Portland, Maine | Cumberland | September 18, 1947 | March 16, 1949 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Percy T. Clarke | Ellsworth, Maine | Hancock | October 1, 1947 | June 29, 1955 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Donald W. Webber | Auburn, Maine | Androscoggin | September 1, 1948 | October 8, 1953 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Francis W. Sullivan | Cape Elizabeth, Maine | Cumberland | April 5, 1949 | October 4, 1956 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Granville C. Gray | Presque Isle, Maine | Aroostook | May 18, 1949 | September 2, 1956 | Died in office |
| Harold C. Marden | Waterville, Maine | Kennebec | March 3, 1953 | December 19, 1962 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Randolph A. Weatherbee | Hampden, Maine | Penobscot | March 25, 1953 | December 21, 1966 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Cecil J. Siddall | Sanford, Maine | York | August 19, 1953 | May 7, 1958 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Leonard F. Williams | Auburn, Maine | Androscoggin | November 4, 1953 | March 30, 1964 | Died in office |
| Walter M. Tapley, Jr. | Portland, Maine | Cumberland | March 3, 1954 | May 5, 1954 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Abraham M. Rudman | Bangor, Maine | Penobscot | June 9, 1954 | May 30, 1965 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| F. Harold Dubord | Waterville, Maine | Kennebec | June 29, 1955 | October 4, 1956 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Charles A. Pomeroy | Portland, Maine | Cumberland | October 4, 1956 | July 2, 1969 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| James P. Archibald | Houlton, Maine | Aroostook | October 4, 1956 | January 27, 1971 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Armand A. Dufresne, Jr. | Lewiston, Maine | Androscoggin | October 4, 1956 | August 24, 1965 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| John P. Carey | Bath, Maine | Sagadahoc | May 7, 1958 | December 10, 1958 | Resigned |
| Thomas E. Delahanty | Lewiston, Maine | Androscoggin | December 31, 1958 | September 5, 1973 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| William S. Silsby | Aurora, Maine | Hancock | December 20, 1961 | August 2, 1972 | Retired |
| James L. Reid | Augusta, Maine | Kennebec | December 28, 1962 | September 1, 1975 | Retired (active retired) |
| Harold J. Rubin | Bath, Maine | Sagadahoc | May 20, 1964 | January 15, 1979 | Retired |
| Alton A. Lessard | Lewiston, Maine | Androscoggin | August 24, 1965 | August 2, 1974 | Retired (medical disability) |
| Lincoln Spencer | Kennebunkport, Maine | York | August 24, 1965 | September 1, 1977 | Retired |
| Albert Knudsen | Portland, Maine | Cumberland | May 4, 1966 | December 31, 1973 | Retired |
| Robert L. Browne | Bangor, Maine | Penobscot | 1974 | 1985 | Retired, to active-retired status[7] |
| Robert W. Clifford | Lewiston, Maine | Androscoggin | June 8, 1979 | August 1, 1986 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Thomas E. Delahanty II | Lewiston, Maine | Androscoggin | November 4, 1983 | June 30, 2010 | Appointed as United States Attorney for the District of Maine |
| Andrew M. Mead | Bangor, Maine | Penobscot | May 28, 1992 | April, 2007 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Ellen A. Gorman | Durham, Maine | Androscoggin | March 30, 2000 | October 1, 2007 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Joseph Jabar | Waterville, Maine | Kennebec | October 26, 2001 | September 1, 2009 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| Robert E. Crowley | June 14, 1993 | August 31, 2010[3] | |||
| Jeffrey Hjelm[8] | Dixmont, Maine | Penobscot | September 2, 1998 | August 1, 2014 | Appointed to Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
| John Nivison | October 1, 2007 | 2014 | Formerly chief judge on the Maine District Court[3] |
Statewide Superior Court established January 1, 1930; P.L. 1929, ch 141. The Superior Court, with a location in each county, became the general jurisdiction trial court, replacing the Maine Supreme Court justices who traveled from county to county to sit in trial terms (Nisi Prius) in those counties without their own Superior Court. The presiding justices from the Superior Courts in four counties (Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, and Penobscot) continued to serve on the statewide Superior Court. The Supreme Judicial Court was reduced from eight justices to six justices as a result of vacancies.
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See also
Reference list
- ^ Maine Judicial Branch :Superior Courts Archived 2007-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Me. Const. art. V, § 8; Me. Const. art. VI, § 4
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Maine Superior Court Chronology" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ^ Hench, David (2015-06-16). "Justice Roland Cole named chief of Superior Court in Maine". Press Herald. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- ^ "Hon. Carl O. Bradford". FindLaw Lawyer Directory. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
- ^ Francis X. Quinn, McKernan Taps Dana for High Court Position, Mills, Murray Picked for Superior Court, Bangor Daily News, Jan. 7, 1993, available at 1993 WLNR 539755.
- ^ "Robert L. Browne recalled as judicial pioneer". Bangor Daily News. 18 August 2003. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ A. Jay Higgins, Senate OKs King's Appointees, Bangor Daily News, Aug. 19, 1998, available at 1998 WLNR 852504.