Judges appointed by Paul LePage
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This page lists judges appointed by Paul LePage (R) during his term as Governor of Maine. As of today, the total number of LePage appointees was 34. For the full profile of LePage, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Maine judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. LePage.
Appointment process
In Maine, the governor makes a judicial appointment to fill a vacancy. Before a judge takes office, the appointment must be confirmed by the Maine Senate.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
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Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
2014 - 2019 |
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Maine Supreme Judicial Court |
2015 - March 7, 2022 |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
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Cumberland County Superior Court |
2015 - 2018 |
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Cumberland County Superior Court |
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Knox County Superior Court |
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Maine District Court |
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Maine District Court |
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Maine Superior Courts |
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Maine Superior Courts |
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Maine Superior Courts |
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Penobscot County Probate Court |
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York County Superior Court |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Maine
| Judicial selection in Maine | |
 | |
| Maine Supreme Judicial Court | |
| Method: | Gubernatorial appointment |
| Term: | 7 years |
| Maine Superior Court | |
| Method: | Gubernatorial appointment |
| Term: | 7 years |
| Maine District Courts | |
| Method: | Gubernatorial appointment |
| Term: | 7 years |
| Maine Probate Courts | |
| Method: | Partisan election |
| Term: | 4 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Maine, including:
As of April 2025, judges for all courts in the state except the Maine Probate Courts were selected by gubernatorial appointment, where the governor directly selects judges followed by Senate confirmation. Judges of the Maine Probate Courts were selected through partisan elections.[2]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[3] |
|---|
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| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[4] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[5] | 1[6] | 17[7] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Maine | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maine | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,329,453 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 30,843 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 95% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.1% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 1.5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.6% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 29% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $49,331 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.6% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Maine. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Maine
Maine voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, eight are located in Maine, accounting for 3.88 percent of the total pivot counties.[8]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Maine had seven Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 4.42 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Maine coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Maine
- United States congressional delegations from Maine
- Public policy in Maine
- Endorsers in Maine
- Maine fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Maine," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Maine," accessed September 15, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
First Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Maine • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Maine
State courts:
Maine Supreme Judicial Court • Maine Superior Court • Maine Business and Consumer Court • Maine District Courts • Maine Family Division • Maine Juvenile Court • Maine Probate Courts • Maine Small Claims Court • Maine Treatment Court
State resources:
Courts in Maine • Maine judicial elections • Judicial selection in Maine
