Maine State Courts

Maine Courts

The Maine court system functions along with the executive and legislative branches of the state to ensure law and order. The system comprises two levels; appellate and trial courts. The Supreme Judicial Court is the apex court and the only division of the appellate level of the court system. The Supreme Judicial Court is also referred to as the Maine Law Court. Maine does not have an intermediate appellate court like several states in the United States. The Superior, District, and Probate Courts are the trial courts. The Superior Court is a court of general jurisdiction with original jurisdiction over cases involving criminal actions and large sums of money. The District Courts and Probate Courts are courts with limited jurisdiction.

The administrative office of each court is tasked with maintaining Maine court records which provide an account of the judicial proceeding in each state.

There is a family division in each Maine District Court with jurisdiction over various cases involving families and children and other family matters filed in the District Court. The family division is established to provide a system of justice that is responsive to the needs of families and the support of children. Family law magistrates of the Family Divisions are employed by the Chief Judge of the District Courts with the approval of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court. Family law magistrates are required to be members of the State Bar and possess experience in family law. These magistrates are experienced in mediation and other alternate dispute resolution techniques, domestic violence, and family dynamics, and case management.

Maine Juvenile Court is the system responsible for handling most cases related to juveniles who commit offenses that would otherwise be considered crimes if adults had committed the conduct. Only individuals under the age of 18 are considered juveniles in Maine. Maine Juvenile Courts are focused on providing young offenders with care, guidance, treatments, and consequences for their actions.

A special Business and Consumer Docket (BCD) exists in Maine that handles selected business and consumer cases. BCD is aimed at keeping litigation costs reasonable, promoting effective and efficient process in resolving business and consumer disputes, and providing predictable judicial action in selected cases involving business and consumer disputes. Cases transferred to the BCD include:

• Jury and non-jury civil actions, including appeals under Rules 80B and 80C, business dissolutions, class actions, and family matters requiring the distribution of business assets that do not involve children
• New filings and cases currently pending in the Superior and District Courts
• Actions in which specialized or differentiated judicial management is required

The Maine Judicial Branch Violations Bureau is the arm of the Maine judicial system handling cases of traffic violations. Treatment courts are a special type of court established to reduce criminal behavior and recidivism by providing intensive court-supervised treatment and strict accountability for eligible individuals with substance abuse and mental health disorders.

Maine is also host to courts in the federal judiciary, including federal appellate courts that hear appeals from the state supreme court and have jurisdiction to hear federal cases.

Maine Supreme Court

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court and the only appellate branch of the Maine judicial system. The court's main role is to decide appeals on questions of law arising from civil actions and criminal trials. It is also responsible for overseeing the admission of attorneys to the Bar and the conduct and discipline of lawyers and judges. The Supreme Court has procedural rulemaking authority over all the courts in Maine and is authorized to issue advisory opinions on legal issues of high public importance. The Supreme Judicial Court is often referred to as the Law Court.

In making its decisions, the justices on the Supreme Court reflect on the questions presented and issue a written opinion deciding the issues in line with its view of the law and affirming or reversing the trial court's decision. Where the Supreme Court finds no grounds in the appeal that justifies changing the trial court's ruling, the decision of the trial court is upheld. If the Supreme Court determines that the trial court erred and that the error was not harmless, the decision of the trial court may be vacated in whole or in part.

There are seven justices including a presiding Chief Justice serving on the Maine Supreme Court. These justices serve seven-year terms which may be renewed an unlimited number of times.

Maine Superior Courts

Superior Courts are the trial court of general jurisdiction in Maine. These are the only courts where jury trials may be held. Maine Superior Courts hear nearly all types of civil and criminal cases that may be brought to trial except for family matters, civil violations, and juvenile cases. It handles all murder, Class A, B, and C criminal cases, as well as those Class D and E cases in which the defendant asks for a jury trial.

The Superior Courts have jurisdiction over the following types of cases:

• Post-conviction reviews
• Appeals from decisions of state and local administrative agencies, including the Department of Human Services and municipal zoning boards
• Matters in which equitable relief is requested, such as an injunction
• Jury and jury-waived trials in civil cases, such as car accident lawsuits
• Jury and jury-waived trials in adult criminal cases

There is at least one Superior Court in each of Maine's 16 counties. Aroostook County has two Superior Courts. The 17 justices serving on Maine Superior's Courts all have a statewide jurisdiction which sometimes requires them to travel to different counties to hold court. Superior Court justices are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the state Senate to serve seven-year terms.

Maine District Courts

District Courts are trial courts handling cases related to civil, criminal, and family matters. There are no juries in Maine District courts. Examples of civil cases brought before the District Courts are involuntary commitments (where persons are admitted into psychiatric hospitals against their will), domestic relations cases (divorces, separations, custody, and property disputes), protection from abuse, and civil suits claiming monetary damages.

Other types of cases heard in the District Courts are:

• Class D and E criminal offenses in which the defendant waives the right to a jury trial
• Class D and E criminal offenses involve assault, operating under the influence, disorderly conduct, operating under suspension, theft of property
• Traffic infractions
• Juvenile matters
• Eviction hearings or Forcible Entry and Detainer Actions (FED)

Individuals charged with the more serious criminal offenses ranging from Class A to C may plead guilty in the District Court, however, trials for such crimes are held in the Superior Court.

There are 38 judges in Maine District Courts. These judges hold court sessions in eight judicial regions at several locations throughout Maine. District Court judges are appointed to seven-year terms by the Governor with confirmation by the Maine Senate. District Court judges may be reappointed to serve multiple terms. The only requirement by statute to serve on the District Court is to be a member of the state bar.

Maine Probate Courts

Maine Probate Courts have jurisdiction in equity, concurrent with the Superior Courts, in all cases and matters pertaining to the administration of the estates of deceased persons, wills, and trusts which are created by will or other written instrument. Probate Courts sit without a jury and handle cases such as:

• Estates of deceased and missing persons
• Trusts (both formal and informal)
• Adoptions
• Legal name changes for adults and minors
• Guardianship (For incapacitated adults and minor children)
• Conservatorships
• Protective proceedings
• Other family matters

Probate Courts are under county jurisdictions and not the state court system. On matters of law, the decisions of the Probate Court may be appealed to the Supreme Judicial Court. There are 16 Probate Courts and judges in Maine, one in each county. Judges in the Probate Court usually serve part-time and four-year terms.

Maine Treatment Courts

Maine Treatment Courts are court programs focused on providing intensive, community-based, court-supervised treatment and strict accountability for qualified persons with serious substance use or mental health disorders who are involved with the child protection or criminal justice system. Maine Treatment Courts include the Adult Drug Treatment Court, Family Recovery Court, Family Recovery Court, Co-Occurring Disorders Court, and the Veterans Treatment Court. These courts seek to:

• Use limited judicial system resources effectively and efficiently
• Foster and strengthen healthy and safe parent-child relationships
• Increase participants' personal, family, and community accountability
• Educate those involved in the child protection and criminal justice system, and the public about mental health issues and substance abuse
• Address the fundamental causes of criminal behavior by persons with serious substance use disorders or mental health disorders
• Help make communities safer by reducing recidivism and criminal behavior

What are Appeals and Court Limits in Maine?

An appeal is a request to a higher court to review the decision of a lower court. The majority of the decisions of trial courts are subject to review by an appellate court. Regardless of whose decision or judgment is, jury or judge, an appellate court reviews what occurred in prior proceedings for any errors of law. Hence, an aggrieved party can only challenge a decision due to errors such as a misinterpretation of legal precedent or reliance on evidence that should have been excluded and not just because of discontentment with the outcome of a case.

In Maine, any criminal or civil judgment, or ruling of the District Court, the Superior Court, any Unified Criminal Docket, the Probate Courts, or a single justice of the Supreme Judicial Court that is by law reviewable may be reviewed by the Law Court by an appeal. The Maine Rules of Appellate Procedure sets forth the time limits permitted by Maine Courts for filing a notice of appeal.

Other than in extradition appeals, appeals in criminal and civil cases must be filed within 21 days after the entry of the judgment into the docket unless a shorter time is provided by law. In an extradition appeal, the appeal may be taken from an order making a final disposition of a petition contesting extradition seven days after entry into the docket of the order appealed from.

How Do I Find My Case Number in Maine?

A case number is a reference number assigned to a court case to differentiate it from other cases. A case number helps record custodians track and find court records quickly. The characters in a case number can help identify the year the case was filed, the office in which it was filed, and the judicial officer to whom it was assigned.

Interested persons can find their court case numbers by contacting the Maine courthouses where the records are on file. It is also possible to obtain case numbers by providing a party name on Maine's Odyssey Portal. The portal will return a search result listing the case numbers assigned to cases matching the information provided.

Does Maine Hold Remote Trials?

Yes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Maine Supreme Judicial Court's concern for the health of both Judicial branch employees and members of the public, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the majority of trial court proceedings be conducted remotely, through video or telephonic formats. Parties who receive a notice of hearing to be conducted by video may be permitted to participate by phone if access to the internet is impossible.