Gov. Mills announces nominee for open seat on Maine's highest court
In the past five years, Maine Commission on Public Defense Services has provided counsel for over 28,000 charges related to violating conditions of release and spent over $1.7 million on defense attorneys for those cases. (Stock photo)
During her State of the Judiciary address earlier this week, Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill not only provided an update on the state of the judicial branch, but nudged Gov. Janet Mills about the unfilled seat on the state's highest court.
'We've had a vacancy for a year, but I'm hopeful that's going to be filled soon,' Stanfill said.
Just three days later, Mills announced she has nominated Julia Lipez to serve as an associate justice on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Most recently, Lipez has served on the Maine Superior Court since 2022.
'Justice Lipez has earned deep respect for her fairness, intellect, and commitment to the rule of law,' Mills said in a news release Friday.
This is Mills' sixth new nominee to the court since taking office in 2019. The nomination will go first to the Legislature's Judiciary Committee and then the Maine Senate for confirmation.
Before her current role, Lipez served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for Maine for more than a decade. In that role, she led prosecutions of human trafficking, child exploitation, fraud, narcotics and other serious crimes, the release said. She was promoted to chief of the Appellate Division of the U.S. Attorney Office for Maine in 2019.
Last May, Biden nominated Lipez to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit; however, the U.S. Senate didn't advance her nomination before Congress adjourned in January.
Though a Maine native, Lipez received her undergraduate degree from Amherst College before attending Stanford Law School. She now lives in Cape Elizabeth with her family.
'If confirmed, I will serve the people of Maine as I have throughout my career in law and public service — with a commitment to fairness and justice, and equality before the law,' Lipez said in the release.
Mills also announced three other judicial nominations Friday. Darcie McElwee was nominated for justice on the Maine Superior Court. Amy Dieterich was nominated for judge on the Maine District Court.
Matthew Tice was also nominated for reappointment to the Maine District Court.
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