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Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Too many Mainers are going through 'life-changing' civil cases without attorneys, legal aid providers say
Apr. 17—AUGUSTA — When Anne Segalini left an abusive ex-husband, it was a legal aid lawyer who helped level the playing field. Her ex had the money to repeatedly delay their court case and weaponize the legal system against her, Segalini said, but legal aid helped her establish "legal boundaries" for herself and her children through protection orders. "Their support was not only transformative, but also lifesaving during a time when I was fighting for our freedom in the face of relentless physical, emotional, legal, financial and mental torment," she said. Segalini is one of thousands of Mainers each year who get free legal help for urgent civil matters — not only those involving domestic violence, which can include divorce proceedings and filing for protection orders, but also access to housing and education, disputes over health benefits and labor contracts and discrimination. Yet there are far more people who aren't able to get aid because there aren't enough attorneys to help them. And without emergency funding, advocates say, there's about to be a lot fewer available. Segalini was at a press conference in the State House Thursday, standing with two dozen providers to raise support for an emergency bill that would drastically increase funding for Maine's civil legal services network by $15.9 million over the next two years. "Their work is vital in helping survivors break free from abuse," Segalini told reporters. "I hope that this commitment can expand to anybody who's going through something like that." They are up against some competition in the upcoming biennial budget as the state is already trying to address multiple other court crises. A judge is planning to begin releasing people from jail who have been denied their constitutional right to a lawyer for more than two weeks. The judicial branch, meanwhile, is urging the state to fund several courthouse repairs and technological upgrades that the chief justice said the state can't afford to delay. Those who organize Maine's legal aid system say the civil aid system is in crisis, too. "A lot of people don't know there's an equally unacceptable crisis occurring on the civil side of law that doesn't always receive the same attention," said Associate Supreme Judicial Court Justice Andrew Mead, who oversees a non-political coalition called the Justice Action Group. "These are people in dire circumstances, life-changing situations." UNNERVED BY FEDERAL UNCERTAINTY Legal aid funding is overseen by the judicial branch's Maine Civil Legal Services Fund and goes to seven approved providers. Right now, Gov. Janet Mills has included $1.3 million each year under her proposed biennial budget, but that's $2 million less than what civil legal providers have now under a boost given to them two years ago that allowed them to hire more lawyers. Prior efforts to increase the funding further, like an $11.7 million proposal in 2023, have failed. Providers are also anxiously watching what the Trump administration might do to their various sources of federal funds. Pine Tree Legal Assistance Director Tom Fritzsche listed several grants he's monitoring that were briefly frozen earlier this year, including those to help veterans facing homelessness, for women experiencing violence, and another to run a low-income tax clinic. Pine Tree Legal also relies on Housing and Urban Development funds and money from the federal Legal Services Corporation that was created by Congress more than 50 years ago to directly offer legal help to low-income clients. Legal Services for the Elderly and Disability Rights Maine, two other providers, were especially concerned Thursday about the future of the federal Administration for Community Living, which the Trump administration recently announced will be "reorganized." That agency not only helps fund legal aid, but other crucial services like Meals on Wheels and programs to support caregivers. ANOTHER CRISIS Lawmakers already agreed last week to pass an emergency, $3 million bill to help Maine's public defense agency hire more lawyers to represent Mainers in criminal matters and child protective cases, who have a constitutional right to counsel. A judge recently ruled the state has violated this right for hundreds of people who have waited for an attorney. Former Supreme Judicial Court Justice Ellen Gorman said Thursday that the civil crisis is "every bit as devastating" because it involves basic human needs: safety, stability and shelter. A representative from the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition said civil legal aid providers like the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project play an "indispensable role ... in maintaining a just and equitable society — particularly for low-income Mainers, new arrivals, and communities navigating complicated systems of law and bureaucracy." "The truth is, even when laws are designed to protect people, those protections are meaningless if you can't access or understand them," Advocacy, Communications and Policy Manager Ruben Torres wrote in testimony to lawmakers. "Civil legal aid organizations like the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) and Pine Tree Legal Assistance serve as lifelines in these moments, ensuring people are not left to navigate a confusing and often unforgiving system on their own." Disability Rights Maine has directly helped people in more than 700 cases this year, legal director Lauren Wille testified. She noted they've seen a surge in students with disabilities who need accommodations to ensure they have equal access to public education. Their two special education attorneys are simply not enough. "The calls that we get in our intake line ... have increased substantially over the last year. Our ability to take these cases has not increased," Wille said. "It's heartbreaking to turn away some families who have really legitimately legal claims that won't have the legal representation to present those claims." Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. 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Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine Democrats choose new party leaders
Jan. 27—Democrats have chosen a lawyer from Central Maine to lead the state party for the next two years — an election cycle that will include statewide races for governor and U.S. Senate. The party announced Monday that Charlie Dingman of Leeds was elected as chair and Imke Schlesser-Jandreau of Bangor was elected as vice chair. Both candidates hail from the more rural, conservative 2nd Congressional District, whose voters will be key to winning statewide offices in two years. Dingman, a lawyer who has served on the board for Maine Equal Justice, which advocates for low income residents and families, and served on committees for the party and the Justice Action Group, which supports legal aid providers and social justice groups, is planning to focus on unifying the party and reaching voters across the state ahead of the 2026 cycle. "This is a challenging moment for all of us in the party of Maine's working people, as our new national regime serves the interests of the very few who are wealthy enough not to do their own work, and pursues its agenda without a care for those most vulnerable to their cruelty," Dingman said in written statement. "They want to confuse and distract working people by turning us against each other. I believe Maine Democrats spoke loudly and clearly today that we will counter that toxic agenda with all our strength, reaching out to those in our rural and urban communities alike to reconnect with the disillusioned and expand our mission of fairness and opportunity for everyone." Schlesser-Jandreau is a communications professional, who said in a written statement that Democrats have "an incredible opportunity to rebrand the party, lean into our values, and bring people together." Party officials did not immediately respond to questions about how many other candidates ran for party chair. Maine Democrats cut against national trends last November, maintaining their majorities in both the state Senate and House of Representatives, albeit by smaller margins, for Democratic Gov. Janet Mills' final two years in office. Democrats have held the governor's office and both chamber of the Legislature since 2019. With Mills termed out of office, the 2026 gubernatorial race is expected to be a wide-open race. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says she's planning on seeking reelection. No challengers have emerged, though Mills did not rule out running when asked by the Press Herald in December. Dingman and Schlesser-Jandreau replace outgoing Chair Bev Uhlenhake and Vice Chair Julian Rogers, who did not seek another term. Copy the Story Link
