Title 4, Title 4

There must be a County Law Library Committee in each county in which a county law library is located. The members of the committee must be appointed or elected by the county bar association, or other governing body, as its bylaws may provide. Membership on the committee need not …

The County Law Library Committee shall establish local operating policies, such as, but not limited to, hours, circulation policies and photocopy privileges. Each county committee shall exercise supervision over the expenditures of private and nonstate funds, including endowments…

The treasurer of each County Law Library Committee, under the direction of the County Law Library Committee, shall apply all private and nonstate moneys received, and all bequests and gifts, to form and operate a law library. The clerk shall keep an exact record of all the procee…

The Supreme Judicial Court may promulgate rules to implement the purposes of this chapter.

Courts of probate are courts of record. Each shall have an official seal, of which the register shall have the custody. They may issue any process necessary for the discharge of their official duties and punish for contempt of their authority.

All oaths required to be taken by personal representatives, trustees, guardians, conservators, or of any other persons in relation to any proceeding in the probate court, or to perpetuate the evidence of the publication of any order of notice, may be administered by the judge or …

Any person claiming under an heir at law has the same rights as the heir in all proceedings in probate courts, including rights of appeal.

Each judge may take the probate of wills and grant letters testamentary or of administration on the estates of all deceased persons who, at the time of their death, were inhabitants or residents of the judge's county or who, not being residents of the State, died leaving estate t…

1. Disclosure of orders and proceedings. The judge of probate presiding over any matter involving guardianship, adoption or change of name or another matter involving custody or other parental rights with respect to a minor child shall require all parties to disclose whether they…

The courts of probate shall have jurisdiction in equity, concurrent with the Superior Court, of all cases and matters relating to the administration of the estates of deceased persons, to wills and to trusts which are created by will or other written instrument. Such jurisdiction…

Subject to Title 18‑C, sections 1‑303 and 3‑201, and except as otherwise provided in Title 18‑C, section 5‑105, when a case is originally within the jurisdiction of the probate court in 2 or more counties, the one that first commences proceedings therein retains the same exclusiv…

Judges of probate are elected or appointed as provided in the Constitution of Maine. Only attorneys at law admitted to the general practice of law in this State and resident in this State may be elected or appointed as judges of probate. Their election is effected and determined …

Sheriffs, their deputies and constables shall execute all legal processes directed to them by any such judge of probate, who may, when necessary, require such officer, when not in attendance upon any other court, to attend during the sitting of the probate court, for which that o…

Probate court shall always be open in each county for all matters over which it has jurisdiction, except upon days on which by law no court is held, but it shall have certain fixed days and places to be made known by public notification thereof in their respective counties to whi…

Judges of probate may hold hearings for matters in equity and contested cases at such time and place in the county as the judge of probate may appoint and make all necessary orders and decrees relating thereto, and when hearings are held at other places than those fixed for holdi…

The judge of probate in and for the County of Aroostook shall hold a court of probate at least twice in each year at Fort Kent and at least 4 times each year at Caribou in the county. The time for holding the court shall be appointed by the judge and made known by public notifica…

During the sickness, absence from the State or inability of any judge of probate to hold the regular terms of that judge's court, such terms, at the judge's request or that of the register of the county, may be held by the judge of any other county. The judges may interchange ser…

When a judge or register of probate is interested in that judge's or register of probate's own right, trust, or in any other manner, or is within the degree of kindred, by which in law that judge or register of probate may, by possibility, be heir to any part of the estate of the…

Every judge, upon entering on the duties of that judge's office, shall examine the records, decrees, certificates and all proceedings connected therewith that the judge's predecessor left unsigned or unauthenticated. If the judge finds them correct, the judge shall sign and authe…

A judge of probate may not have a voice in judging and determining or be attorney or counselor in or out of court in any civil action or matter that depends on or relates to any sentence or decree made by that judge of probate in that judge of probate's office, or in any civil ac…

Judges of probate, in any case in which an estate is under their jurisdiction for probate, shall have the power to order that an appropriate amount out of the estate be set aside for perpetual care and suitable memorials for the cemetery lot in which the deceased is buried, and t…

All contracts for support for life shall be approved by the Probate Court in the county in which the support for life is to be rendered. The Probate Court shall grant approval after such reasonable notice as the court shall determine to be appropriate, if the court shall find, af…

As a candidate for the elective office of judge of probate or as an elected judge, a person seeking or holding the office of judge of probate may engage in any political activity that would be lawful for a candidate for any other elected county office or for an incumbent elected …

Each county shall provide all necessary printed blanks and record books for its probate courts and courts of insolvency, and said record books may be printed to correspond with the printed blanks.

1. Programs. The Judicial Department may establish substance use disorder treatment programs in the Superior Courts and District Courts and may adopt administrative orders and court rules to govern the practice, procedure and administration of these programs. Substance use disord…

1. Coordinator of Diversion and Rehabilitation Programs. The judicial branch shall employ a Coordinator of Diversion and Rehabilitation Programs. The Coordinator of Diversion and Rehabilitation Programs is responsible for helping the judicial branch establish, staff, coordinate, …

The Judicial Department shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over judiciary matters by February 15th annually on the establishment and operation of substance use disorder treatment programs in the courts. The report must cover at lea…

1. Treatment courts; funding. The Judicial Department may seek and receive grants to establish mental health treatment courts. 2. Report. Before implementing a mental health treatment court, the Judicial Department shall report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature h…

1. Definition. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, "veterans treatment court" means a specialized sentencing docket in select criminal cases in which the defendant is a veteran or member of the United States Armed Forces to enable veterans agencies an…

There is established a Maine Criminal Justice Sentencing Institute under the administrative supervision of the State Court Administrator to provide a continuing forum for the regular discussion of the most appropriate methods of sentencing convicted offenders and adjudicated juve…

There is a Judicial Conference of Maine, referred to in this section as "the conference," composed of judges and justices who shall advise and consult with the Supreme Judicial Court and the Chief Justice on matters affecting the administration of the Judicial Department, who sha…

In all cases in the Supreme Judicial or in the Superior Court in which the court appoints one or more persons, not exceeding 3, as referees, masters or auditors, to hear the same, their fees and necessary expenses, including stenographic services as determined by the Chief Justic…

For each county, or if the Supreme Judicial Court has by rule established judicial regions, for each judicial region, the Chief Justice of the Superior Court shall appoint clerks as necessary to serve the Superior Court. A clerk of the District Court may also serve as the clerk o…

Clerks of judicial courts shall account monthly for all fees received by them or payable to them by virtue of their office, except those portions of fees collected for passports and naturalization proceedings that are payable to the Federal Government, specify the items and pay t…

The Supreme Judicial Court shall have the authority to prescribe rules establishing the fees of clerks of the judicial courts.

The clerk shall keep a true and exact account of all moneys that the clerk receives or is entitled to receive for services by virtue of the office as clerk of the Superior or Supreme Judicial Courts and shall pay the same to the Treasurer of State. All moneys belonging to the cou…

The clerk shall receive all fines, forfeitures and bills of costs imposed or accruing to the use of the State when paid or tendered to the clerk before a precept is issued to enforce collection, give discharges therefor and enter them of record.

Clerks of courts may administer oaths required by law unless another officer is specially required to do it.

Under direction of the Superior Court, the clerk shall complete unfinished records of a former clerk deceased, when from entries on the dockets and papers on file it sufficiently appears what judgment was rendered. Such record, when approved by the court, is valid.

A clerk who exacts or receives more than that clerk's lawful fees commits a civil violation for which a fine of $50 may be adjudged.

After the rendition of final judgment or decree in any civil action, the clerk shall, as soon as may be, make such a record thereof in short form, except in such specific instances as the court by general rule or special order may direct. If either party files a request and tende…

In indictments, clerks shall make records of the process, proceedings, judgment and sentence as the Supreme Judicial Court may prescribe by rule. In criminal prosecutions or civil violation proceedings brought up by appeal from inferior courts, clerks shall make records of the pr…

The Chief Justice of the Superior Court may cause the records of each clerk to be examined and when found deficient, direct them to be immediately made or corrected, and when such order is not obeyed, the fact of such deficiency shall be certified to the Treasurer of State, who s…

The money recovered in such action shall be applied under direction of the court, to complete the deficient records. If more than sufficient, the balance inures to the State. If not sufficient, the balance may be recovered by the Treasurer of State in an action founded on the bon…

A clerk, register or recording officer of any court of the State may not be attorney or counselor in any civil action or matter pending in that court; neither may that person commence actions to be entered therein, or draft or aid in drafting any document or paper that that perso…

All clerks of courts shall receive and safely keep all such records and papers lodged in their offices and give attested copies thereof, for which they shall receive the same fees as a notary. Such copies shall be as valid as if certified by notaries.