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Rick E. Lawrence
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2022 - Present
2029
3
Rick E. Lawrence is a judge of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He assumed office on May 4, 2022. His current term ends on May 4, 2029.
Lawrence was appointed by Democratic Gov. Janet T. Mills in March 2022 and was confirmed by the Maine State Senate on April 12, 2022. Lawrence is the first Black justice to be appointed and confirmed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. [1] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Lawrence was a judge for the Lewiston District Court in Androscoggin County, Maine.[2] He was renominated by Governor Paul LePage, on January 31, 2014, to serve another term on the court. His nomination was confirmed by the Maine Senate Judiciary Committee, and he was sworn in by the governor on March 20, 2014.[3]
Biography
Lawrence received a bachelor's degree from Yale Univerity and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Lawrence worked as an attorney and vice president and managing counsel at Unum and as an associate at Pierce Atwood before his appointment to the Lewiston District Court.[1]
Appointments
2022
Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) nominated Rick Lawrence to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on March 7, 2022. The Maine State Senate confirmed him to the court on April 12, 2022. Lawrence succeeded Justice Ellen Gorman, who retired at the end of her term on March 18, 2022. Lawrence was Gov. Mills' fourth nominee to the seven-member court.[4]
At the time of the nomination, Maine law required the governor's nominee to be confirmed by the legislature's Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary and the Maine State Senate in order to take office.[4]
State supreme court judicial selection in Maine
- 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.[5]
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.[5]
Qualifications
State law requires that supreme court justices be "learned in the law."[6]
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.[5]
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.[5]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Press Herald, "Maine Senate confirms Rick Lawrence to the state’s highest court," accessed April 18, 2022
- ↑ Maine District Judge Directory
- ↑ State of Maine, Office of Governor Paul LePage, "Governor LePage Announces Judicial Nominees," February 7, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Office of Governor Janet T. Mills, "Governor Mills Nominates Judge Rick Lawrence to Maine Supreme Judicial Court," March 7, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 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
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
