The Judicial Branch has announced that all Maine state courts and the Administrative Office of the Courts will be closed on Monday, October 14, 2024. This closure is in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day. The courts will resume operations on Tuesday, October 15 at 8:00 a.m.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has announced a call for public comments on a proposed amendment to Rule 5 of the Maine Bar Rules. This amendment would allow attorneys to receive continuing legal education (CLE) credit for qualifying pro bono publico service.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has issued an invitation for public comments on proposed amendments to Rule 4 of the Maine Rules of Small Claims Procedure. The changes aim to simplify language, allow service by alternate means upon motion and a showing that service cannot be made by another prescribed method with due diligence, update cross-references, return paperwork when service cannot be completed by acknowledgment under subdivision (a)(1), and establish a process for requesting court payment of service costs under M.R. Civ. P. 91(c).
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has invited public comments on the proposed adoption of Rule 11C of the Maine Bar Admission Rules and the proposed repeal of Rule 89(c) of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure. The changes aim to (1) transfer the current provisions of Maine Rule of Civil Procedure 89(c) to the new Maine Bar Admission Rule 11C, (2) authorize temporary permission to practice for attorneys in good standing from other states or the District of Columbia who are employed by the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services and have completed its minimum standard...
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is seeking public input on a proposed amendment to the Maine Code of Judicial Conduct. The amendment aims to clarify that the Code applies to lawyers seeking judicial appointments from the moment they are nominated.
Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill and State Court Administrator Amy Quinlan hosted an award luncheon to honor the contributions of Judicial Branch employees and teams. This year's awards, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, were organized by the newly formed Judicial Branch Employee Action Committee, which includes staff from all areas and departments within the Judicial Branch. The committee received over 100 nominations across six award categories.
Judicial Branch courts and the Administrative Office of the Courts will be closed Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in observance of Juneteenth. They will reopen on Thursday, June 20 at 8:00 a.m.
The events that unfolded on Russell Street in Auburn this past weekend are tragic. It is dangerous and short-sighted to blame the court for the horrific acts because it obscures the real nature of the problem: an insufficient number of attorneys willing to represent the rights of the accused. The crisis of lack of counsel has been developing for years; it will not disappear overnight. This is a systemic problem and one that all partners in the criminal justice system must work together to resolve rather than criticizing each other without offering a solution.
The Maine Judicial Branch announced today the addition of Protection from Abuse (PA) and Protection from Harassment (PH) cases to eFileMaine, the electronic filing platform currently used for most civil and family cases in Bangor, Lewiston, Rumford, Farmington, and South Paris courts.
The Maine Justice Foundation has announced that applications for the 2024 Access to Justice Program will be open from June 1 through June 17, 2024. The program aims to provide tax credits to support legal services for underserved communities.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has issued an invitation for comments on proposed amendments to the Maine Rules of Appellate Procedure. The proposed changes aim to clarify procedures for motions for reconsideration of procedural orders and final decisions, as well as require sequential page numbering in briefs and appendices using Arabic numerals. This will ensure that the page numbers on a brief or appendix correlate with the page numbers in the PDF version of the same document.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is seeking public feedback on a proposed amendment to Rule 9(c)(2) of the Maine Bar Admission Rules. The proposed amendment aims to formalize the procedures of the Board of Bar Examiners for interviewing an applicant as part of an investigation into the applicant's character and fitness.
Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2024 Morton A. Brody Distinguished Judicial Service Award. Established in 2000, this award is bestowed biennially by the Colby College Board of Trustees to a United States federal or state judge. The honor serves as a tribute to the late Honorable Morton A. Brody, a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Maine.
