Maine Superior Court

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, 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.
Maine's Supreme Judicial Court created a statewide Business and Consumer Docket, 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 term









		present

Current justices

As of, the justices of the Maine Superior Court are:

#	Name	Residence	County	Began service	First appointed by
107		Rome	Kennebec
110		Bangor	Penobscot
111		Bangor	Penobscot
112		Auburn	Androscoggin
113		Kennebunk	York
114		Bowdoinham	Sagadahoc
115		Waterville	Kennebec
118		Bangor	Penobscot
120		Portland	Cumberland
122		Houlton	Aroostook
123		Falmouth	Cumberland
124		Falmouth	Cumberland
125		West Bath	Sagadahoc
126		Cape Elizabeth	Cumberland
127		Bangor	Penobscot
128		Falmouth	Cumberland
129		Arundel	York

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 termination
1		Portland	Cumberland				resigned
2		Portland	Cumberland				death
3		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
4		Augusta	Kennebec				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
5		Portland	Cumberland				death
6		Houlton	Aroostook				seat abolished
7		Waterville	Kennebec				retired
8		Portland	Cumberland				death
9		Portland	Cumberland				term expired
10		Hallowell	Kennebec				retired
11		Auburn	Androscoggin				retired
12		South Portland	Cumberland				term expired
13		Patten	Penobscot				death
14		Augusta	Kennebec				retired
15		Bangor	Penobscot				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
16		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
17		Auburn	Androscoggin				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
18		Biddeford	York				death
19		Guilford	Piscataquis				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
20		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
21		Fort Fairfield	Aroostook				retired
22		Lewiston	Androscoggin				death
23		Bangor	Penobscot				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
24		Rumford	Oxford				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
25		Bangor	Penobscot				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
26		Augusta	Kennebec				death
27		Houlton	Aroostook				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
28		York	York				retired
29		Cape Elizabeth	Cumberland				death
30		Skowhegan	Somerset				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
31		Augusta	Kennebec				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
32		Rockland	Knox				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
33		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
34		Ellsworth	Hancock				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
35		Auburn	Androscoggin				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
36		Cape Elizabeth	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
37		Presque Isle	Aroostook				death
38		Waterville	Kennebec				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
39		Hampden	Penobscot				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
40		Sanford	York				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
41		Auburn	Androscoggin				death
42		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
43		Bangor	Penobscot				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
44		Waterville	Kennebec				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
45		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
46		Houlton	Aroostook				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
47		Lewiston	Androscoggin				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
48		Bath	Sagadahoc				resigned
49		Lewiston	Androscoggin				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
50		Aurora	Hancock				retired
51		Augusta	Kennebec				retired
52		Bath	Sagadahoc				retired
53		Lewiston	Androscoggin				retired
54		Kennebunkport	York				retired
55		Portland	Cumberland				retired
56		Bangor	Penobscot				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
57		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
58		Rumford	Oxford				retired
59		Gardiner	Kennebec				retired
60		Presque Isle	Aroostook				death
61		Bangor	Penobscot				retired
62		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
63		Bangor	Penobscot				retired
64		Van Buren	Aroostook				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
65		Portland	Cumberland				retired
66		Bangor	Penobscot				retired
67		Lewiston	Androscoggin				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
68		Lincolnville	Waldo				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
69		South Portland	Cumberland				retired
70		Ellsworth	Hancock				retired
71		Augustua	Kennebec				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
72		Lewiston	Androscoggin				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
73		Portland	Cumberland				retired
74		Mount Vernon	Kennebec				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
75		Milo	Piscataquis				resigned
76		Waterville	Kennebec				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
77		Yarmouth	Cumberland				retired
78		Berwick	York				retired
79		Lewiston	Androscoggin				retired
80		Caribou	Aroostook				retired
81		York	York				retired
82		China	Kennebec				retired
83		Old Town	Penobscot				resigned
84		South Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
85		Ellsworth	Hancock				retired
86		Pownal	Cumberland				retired
87		Wells	York				retired
88		Bangor	Penobscot				resigned
89		Bangor	Penobscot				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
90		Cornville	Somerset				retired
91		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
92		Belfast	Waldo				retired
93		Kennebunk	York				retired
94		Damariscotta	Lincoln				retired
95		Waterville	Kennebec				retired
96		Portland	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
97		Augusta	Kennebec				retired
98		Dixmont	Penobscot				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
99		Sanford	York				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
100		Brunswick	Cumberland				retired
101		Durham	Androscoggin				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
102		Caribou	Aroostook				retired
103		Waterville	Kennebec				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
104		Kittery	York				retired
105		Falmouth	Cumberland				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
106		Holden	Penobscot				retired
108		Winslow	Kennebec				resigned
109		Morrill	Waldo				retired
116		Augusta	Kennebec				retired
117		South Paris	Oxford				elevated to D. Me.
119		Biddeford	York				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court
121		Wayne	Kennebec				elevated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court