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), in eight judicial regions. The Court consists of 18 justices who all have statewide jurisdiction and travel to the different courthouses to hold court, with a number of active retired judges as well. Justices are nominated by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate and are appointed to seven-year terms. Me. Const. art. V, § 8; Me. Const. art. VI, § 4
Maine's Supreme Judicial Court created a statewide Business and Consumer Docket (BCD), which includes within its jurisdiction complex case types that might be found on other states' business and commercial court dockets; but also includes, for example, class actions and complex consumer rights cases arising out of business or government dealings. Cases eligible for this specialized docket are cases that could otherwise have been heard in the Superior Court or Maine's District Court. The BCD has a distinct set of procedural rules. The BCD has two assigned judges from either the Superior or District Courts, who are designated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court. As of June 2024, the current BCD judges are Superior Court judge Thomas McKeon and District Court judge Michael A. Duddy. Then Superior Court Chief Justice Thomas E. Humphrey was one of the first BCD judges, along with District Court Chief Justice John C. Nivison.
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.
Chief justice Start of term End of termpresent
Current justices As of , the justices of the Maine Superior Court are: # Name Residence County Began service First appointed by107RomeKennebec110BangorPenobscot111BangorPenobscot112AuburnAndroscoggin113KennebunkYork114BowdoinhamSagadahoc115WatervilleKennebec118BangorPenobscot120PortlandCumberland122HoultonAroostook123FalmouthCumberland124FalmouthCumberland125West BathSagadahoc126Cape ElizabethCumberland127BangorPenobscot128FalmouthCumberland129ArundelYork
Active-retired justices of the Maine Superior Court: Roland A. Cole Paul A. Fritzsche E. Allen Hunter Nancy D. Mills William R. Stokes Thomas D. Warren
Former justices The former justices of the court are: # Name Residence County Began service Ended service First appointed by Reason for termination1PortlandCumberlandresigned2PortlandCumberlanddeath3PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court4AugustaKennebecelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court5PortlandCumberlanddeath6HoultonAroostookseat abolished7WatervilleKennebecretired8PortlandCumberlanddeath9PortlandCumberlandterm expired10HallowellKennebecretired (active retired)11AuburnAndroscogginretired (active retired)12South PortlandCumberlandterm expired13PattenPenobscotdeath14AugustaKennebecretired (active retired)15BangorPenobscotelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court16PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court17AuburnAndroscogginelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court18BiddefordYorkdeath19GuilfordPiscataquiselevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court20PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court21Fort FairfieldAroostookretired22LewistonAndroscoggindeath23BangorPenobscotelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court24RumfordOxfordelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court25BangorPenobscotelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court26AugustaKennebecdeath27HoultonAroostookelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court28YorkYorkretired (active retired)29Cape ElizabethCumberlanddeath30SkowheganSomersetelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court31AugustaKennebecelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court32RocklandKnoxelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court33PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court34EllsworthHancockelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court35AuburnAndroscogginelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court36Cape ElizabethCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court37Presque IsleAroostookdeath38WatervilleKennebecelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court39HampdenPenobscotelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court40SanfordYorkelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court41AuburnAndroscoggindeath42PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court43BangorPenobscotelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court44WatervilleKennebecelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court45PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court46HoultonAroostookelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court47LewistonAndroscogginelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court48BathSagadahocresigned49LewistonAndroscogginelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court50AuroraHancockretired51AugustaKennebecretired (active retired)52BathSagadahocretired53LewistonAndroscogginretired (medical disability)54KennebunkportYorkretired55PortlandCumberlandretired56BangorPenobscotelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court57PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court58RumfordOxfordretired59GardinerKennebecretired60Presque IsleAroostookdeath61BangorPenobscotretired (active retired)62PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court63BangorPenobscotretired64Van BurenAroostookelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court65PortlandCumberlandretired66BangorPenobscotretired (active retired)67LewistonAndroscogginelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court68LincolnvilleWaldoelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court69South PortlandCumberlandretired (active retired)70EllsworthHancockretired71AugustuaKennebecelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court72LewistonAndroscogginelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court73PortlandCumberlandretired (active retired)74Mount VernonKennebecelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court75MiloPiscataquisresigned76WatervilleKennebecelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court77YarmouthCumberlandretired (active retired)78BerwickYorkretired (active retired)79LewistonAndroscogginretired (active retired)80CaribouAroostookretired81YorkYorkretired (active retired)82ChinaKennebecretired83Old TownPenobscotresigned84South PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court85EllsworthHancockretired86PownalCumberlandretired (active retired)87WellsYorkretired (active retired)88BangorPenobscotresigned89BangorPenobscotelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court90CornvilleSomersetretired (active retired)91PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court92BelfastWaldoretired93KennebunkYorkretired94DamariscottaLincolnretired95WatervilleKennebecretired (active retired)96PortlandCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court97AugustaKennebecretired (active retired)98DixmontPenobscotelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court99SanfordYorkelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court100BrunswickCumberlandretired (active retired)101DurhamAndroscogginelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court102CaribouAroostookretired (active retired)103WatervilleKennebecelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court104KitteryYorkretired (active retired)105FalmouthCumberlandelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court106HoldenPenobscotretired108WinslowKennebecresigned109MorrillWaldoretired116AugustaKennebecretired (active retired)117South ParisOxfordelevated to D. Me.119BiddefordYorkelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court121WayneKennebecelevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
See also Courts of Maine
References
External links Maine Superior Court