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Judicial Branch Issues Amendment to Administrative Order on the Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems (MRECS), Effective November 2, 2026
Date: 11/2/2026
The Maine Judicial Branch announced today that an Administrative Order on rules and procedures applicable to Maine eCourts and eFiling has been amended regarding the use of non-Judicial Branch court forms when one has been provided by the court.
AO JB 20-03 (A. 11-26) was adopted in 2020 to provide guidance on the applicability of the Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems (MRECS) during the transitional period during the implementation of Maine eCourts and electronic filing when there are conflicts between MRECS and other Judicial Branch rules and administrative orders.
New Section I.C. of JB 20-20 provides that "[i]f an applicable court-approved form exists and is available to the public, the parties must use it" and further adds the following requirement:
"If a filer does not use a form, the filer must include a brief explanation in a cover letter accompanying the submission that indicates the existing form is not suitable."
Barbara Cardone, Director of Legal Affairs and Public Relations explained the reason for the amendment. "The reason for the amendment is to increase the efficiency of reviewing eFiling submissions. eFilers who submit non-Judicial Branch-approved court forms can avoid having their submission rejected by including an explanatory cover letter with the eFiling. We hope this clarification helps the eFiling and legal community's smooth transition to eFiling and Maine eCourts."
AO JB 20-03 (A. 11-26) has been posted on the Administrative Orders page of the Judicial Branch website at https://www.courts.maine.gov/adminorders/index.html