Court Related Committees

The Maine Judicial Branch benefits from the work of court committees, boards, and commissions. These groups assist the Judicial Branch in fulfilling its mission of administering justice in a safe, accessible, efficient, and impartial manner. Court committees, boards, and commissions carry out a number of important functions and duties, including:

• Helping inform policy goals for certain Judicial Branch programs and services;
• Recommending improvements and amendments to court rules, forms, and procedures;
• Assisting the Supreme Judicial Court in its oversight of the practice of law in Maine; and
• Advising the Judicial Branch and other stakeholders on how access to justice may be improved for every individual.

How to be involved

The Supreme Judicial Court welcomes interest and encourages input from members of the Maine bar and the public on the work of the groups that it has established. The Court invites the submission of comments on proposed rule amendments and other matters periodically.

The groups below have been established by the Supreme Judicial Court, the Maine Legislature, and/or other justice partners. For more information on the work of individual committees, email the designated contact person or info@courts.maine.gov.

Advisory Committees

• Access and Visitation Advisory Committee
• Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics
• CASA Advisory Panel
• Committee on Judicial Conduct (formerly Judicial Responsibility and Disability Committee)
• Committee on Media and the Courts
• Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Service (CADRES)
• Court Security Advisory Committee
• Judicial Education Committee
• Justice for Children Task Force
• Limited English Proficiency Advisory Committee
• Pretrial Justice Reform Task Force
• Service Center and Violations Bureau Advisory Committee
• York County Courthouse Project Team

Rules Advisory Committees

• Family Rules
• Maine Rules of Electronic Courts Systems Working Group
• Rules of Appellate Procedure
• Rules of Civil Procedure
• Rules of Evidence
• Rules of Probate
• Rules of Professional Conduct
• Rules of Unified Criminal Procedure

Boards, Commissions, and Other Groups

• Board of Bar Examiners
• Board of Overseers of the Bar
• Civil Legal Services Fund Commission
• Criminal Law Advisory Commission (CLAC)
• Family Law Advisory Commission (FLAC)
• Guardian Ad Litem Review Board
• Juvenile Justice System Assessment and Reinvestment Task Force
• Lawyers’ Fund for Client Protection
• Maine Assistance Program for Lawyers and Judges
• Probate and Trust Law Advisory Commission

Inactive Committees

During the past decades, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court has established committees, councils, task forces, working groups, and commissions as they were needed to undertake specific tasks or projects. Some of those committees, task forces, working groups, advisory groups, and commissions have completed their assigned tasks and are now closed. Please see Administrative Order JB-21-04 for more information.