– District Judge Rick Lawrence nominated to join Maine Supreme Judicial Court - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel

Gov. Janet Mills has nominated District Court Judge Rick E. Lawrence to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

If he’s confirmed, he will be the first Black justice on the state’s highest court.

Lawrence, 66, has overseen Maine district courts as Deputy Chief Judge since April 2020. He’s been a District Court judge for more than two decades.

His nomination will need to be approved by the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary and the Maine Senate.

In his Jan. 7 application to the governor’s office seeking to fill the seat of retiring Justice Ellen Gorman, Lawrence wrote that he wishes to “ensure that the vitally important work of the District Court, especially the child protective, family matters, juvenile, and protection from abuse and harassment cases, continues to be given the attention it deserves from the highest court in the State of Maine.”

Gorman, who was appointed to the court in 2007, announced her plans to retire in January 2021, according to a statement from the governor’s office announcing Lawrence’s nomination.

“Judge Lawrence’s extensive legal experience, measured temperament, strong intellect, and proven commitment to upholding the law and administering justice impartially make him an exceptional candidate for the Maine Supreme Judicial Court,” Mills said in the statement. “I am honored to nominate him and believe his service on our highest court will greatly benefit the people of Maine.”

In his more than two decades working for Maine District Courts, Lawrence has presided over courts in Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties. Specifically, he’s overseen court programs dealing with domestic violence monitoring and foreclosure diversion.

He also chaired the Judicial Branch Advisory committee on Children and Families, which created a guardian ad litem program for Maine that ensured legal representation for children who enter the court system, and he has taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Maine Law School as an adjunct professor.

Lawrence noted these experiences in his application, while also addressing his lack of experience in the higher courts.

“I am mindful that I am not the typical candidate seeking consideration for the Supreme Judicial court simply because I have never served on the Superior Court, Lawrence wrote in his application to the governor’s office, dated Jan. 7.

Lawrence was designated Deputy Chief Judge of the District Court in April 2020. He was reappointed to the District Court for another seven-year term on Feb. 26, 2021.

Before joining the Maine District Court in 2000, Lawrence worked in the private sector as an attorney for a life insurance company and an associate at a private law firm dealing with real estate. Prior to law school, he was a manufacturer’s sales representative for Procter and Gamble and an insurance claims administrator for Prudential Insurance. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Yale University.

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