Maine Commission To Study Priorities and Timing of Judicial Proceedings in...
Maine’s Commission To Study Priorities and Timing of Judicial Proceedings in State Courts is set to meet next week (prior post here). The sole duty of the commission is to “study the priority and...
View ArticleMerit selection: comprehensive state-by-state review of efforts to modify or...
The debate over merit selection systems has reached a head in the last several years, with strenuous efforts at play to create merit selection systems in states which lack them coupled with vigorous...
View ArticleMaine’s Governor vetoes bill that would allow court facilities bonds to be...
Maine’s legislature has been roiled recently with the question of whether or not bonds issued from construction of government facilities should have to go to the voters. One bill in particular (HP 603,...
View ArticleJudicial Compensation Commissions meeting in Louisiana, Maine
Louisiana’s Judicial Compensation Commission, which is statutorily housed within the legislature, meets October 30 to continue its ongoing study of judicial salaries. Meanwhile Maine’s 3-member...
View ArticleMaine Legislative Year in Review: veterans courts, courthouse construction
New laws affecting the courts enacted by the Maine legislature in 2012 include the following: HB 1250 Authorizes the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court to establish veterans treatment courts....
View ArticleMaine bill would require courts put all public records online
Most states have some provision for putting at least some court documents online, however a bill before the Maine House may be the most expansive form proposed in the nation. HB 110 amends the state’s...
View ArticleFirst, Maryland, then Connecticut, now Maine considered getting rid of...
Most states use multiple selection methods for their courts, with some judges appointed, others elected, etc. Three states in particular (Connecticut, Maryland, and now Maine) want to end partisan...
View ArticleMaine Legislative Year in Review: salary increases; false liens on judges &...
Law HB 167 Makes it easier for judges, clerks, and other public officials who have false liens/encumbrances on their property to remove them. Provides civil penalty for filing of false...
View ArticleEfforts to change state constitutions to remove/alter Judicial Council or...
This second installment looks at efforts to change state constitutional grants of rulemaking authority to courts of last resort, typically called the “supreme court”, or judicial councils. My...
View ArticleChanging civil jurisdiction thresholds – Part 2
This second in a series of posts looks at legislative efforts to change the civil jurisdiction thresholds in state limited and general jurisdiction courts in the last decade. For a listing of all...
View ArticleMaine Legislative Year in Review: $15 million bond offer for e-filing and...
Law HB 1281 Authorizes $15 million bond offer for e-filing and case management system. Requires chief justice report on matters regarding this system. SB 263 Replaces Judicial Compensation Commission’s...
View ArticleBans on court use of sharia/international law: new year means two dozen new...
The new legislative year means a new wave of legislation that purport to ban the use by state courts of international or foreign law in general and sharia law in particular. In some instances, such as...
View ArticleBans on court use of sharia/international law: Enacted in Mississippi;...
2015 saw some 32 pieces of legislation introduced in 17 states to ban or limit the use by state courts of foreign or international law. Of these, Mississippi saw after 5+ years of trying the enactment...
View ArticleMaine Legislative Year in Review: Electronic case management system for...
Law HB 139 Authorizes the Supreme Judicial Court to adopt any rules or issue any orders necessary to implement its electronic case management and filing system. Requires the court to notify the...
View ArticleBans on court use of sharia/international law: 19 bills in 14 states;...
Efforts to ban state courts from using or referencing foreign/international law in general, and sharia law in particular, continue apace with two legislatures approving versions while a bill in North...
View ArticleMaine: bill ends state’s judicial compensation commission and merges with...
Since 1995 Maine has had a Judicial Compensation Commission that makes non-binding recommendations to the legislature regarding judicial salary, benefits and retirement. Now a bill has been introduced...
View ArticleMaine: bill to end state’s Judicial Compensation Commission clears legislature
A plan to eliminate Maine’s Judicial Compensation Commission has cleared the legislature. Under HP 1006 the Judicial Compensation Commission would end; the existing State Compensation Commission would...
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