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Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Humphrey vacancy (March 2022)
| Maine Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Humphrey vacancy |
| Date: March 7, 2022 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Wayne R. Douglas |
| Date: February 1, 2023 |
Maine Governor Janet T. Mills (D) nominated Judge Wayne R. Douglas to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on February 1, 2023. The Maine State Senate confirmed his nomination on February 14, 2023. Douglas succeeded Thomas Humphrey, who retired in March 2022. Douglas was Governor Janet Mills' (D) fifth nominee to the seven-member supreme court.[1][2]
At the time of the vacancy, Maine law required that the governor appoint a justice with confirmation by the Maine State Senate. New appointees served a seven-year term.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Maine Supreme Judicial Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2022.
The appointee
- See also: Wayne R. Douglas
Gov. Janet Mills (D) nominated Judge Wayne R. Douglas to fill the vacancy. Former Governor Paul LePage appointed Douglas to the Maine Superior Court in 2015. Douglas previously served on the Maine District Court, having been appointed by former Governor Angus King in 2002. Douglas also served as Chief Legal Counsel to King and as the associate commissioner of the Maine Department of Mental Health.[1]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Ballotpedia will post information on candidates and prospective appointees as information becomes available. If you know of information that should be included here, please email us.
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Maine
The seven justices of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court are appointed by the governor with confirmation from the Maine State Senate.[3]
Justices serve for seven years after their appointment. To continue to serve on the court, they must be reappointed by the governor and reconfirmed by the Maine State Senate.[3]
Qualifications
State law requires that supreme court justices be "learned in the law."[4]
Chief justice
In Maine, the position of chief justice is a specific seat on the court (similar to the Supreme Court of the United States) rather than a peer-selected leadership position. The chief justice is appointed in the same manner as the other justices on the court.[3]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a justice's term. The governor appoints a justice with confirmation by the Maine State Senate. The new appointee serves a seven-year term.[3]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Justices
Following Justice Humphrey's retirement, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court included the following members:
| ■ Catherine Connors | Appointed by Gov. Janet T. Mills (D) in 2020 | |
| ■ Andrew Horton | Appointed by Gov. Janet T. Mills (D) in 2020 | |
| ■ Joseph Jabar | Appointed by Gov. John E. Baldacci (D) in 2009 | |
| ■ Andrew Mead | Appointed by Gov. John E. Baldacci (D) in 2007 | |
| ■ Rick E. Lawrence | Appointed by Gov. Janet T. Mills (D) in 2022 | |
| ■ Valerie Stanfill | Appointed by Gov. Janet T. Mills (D) in 2021 |
About the court
Founded in 1820, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The chief of the court is Valerie Stanfill.[5]
As of April 2025, all seven judges were appointed by Democratic governors.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court typically hears arguments at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland, although it may occasionally meet elsewhere. The court typically hears arguments one week per month.[6] A hearing calendar is available here.
In Maine, state supreme court justices are selected through direct gubernatorial appointment. Justices are appointed directly by the governor without the use of a nominating commission.[7] There are five states that use this selection method. To read more about the gubernatorial appointment of judges, click here.
About Justice Humphrey
- See also: Thomas Humphrey
Former Governor Paul LePage (R) appointed Humphrey to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on April 29, 2015.[8]
Humphrey received a B.S. in accounting from Boston College in 1969 and a J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1972.[9][10] Prior to his judicial work, Humphrey was an assistant district attorney for York County and a partner at the law firm Roberts, Shirley & Humphrey.[8]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2022
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2022
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2022. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 State of Maine Office of Governor Janet T. Mills, "Governor Mills Nominates Veteran Superior Court Justice to Maine Supreme Judicial Court," February 1, 2023
- ↑ Maine Public, "York County judge confirmed for Maine Supreme Court vacancy," February 16, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Maine," accessed September 15, 2021
- ↑ Maine Legislature, "Title 4: Judiciary, Chapter 1: Supreme Judicial Court - §1. Constitution of the court; administrative responsibilities of the court and the Chief Justice," accessed April 3, 2023
- ↑ State of Maine Judicial Branch, "Supreme Court Justices," accessed June 14, 2021
- ↑ State of Maine Judicial Branch, "Supreme Court Calendar," accessed September 16, 2021
- ↑ Note: In New Hampshire, a judicial selection commission has been established by executive order. The commission's recommendations are not binding.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Maine.gov, "Governor LePage Announces Nomination of Associate Justice to Supreme Judicial Court," April 29, 2015
- ↑ Boston College Law School, "Boston College Law School Magazine Fall 1995," accessed July 28, 2021
- ↑ Archive.org, "Boston College Yearbook 1969," accessed July 28, 2021
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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
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