Maine Court Records Search

Maine Court Records & Case Lookup

With a whopping 130,000 cases handled every year, the Maine judicial system goes above and beyond to ensure the safety of its 1.4 million residents and the removal of criminal elements from its streets. Specifically, its courts look at roughly 37,000 criminal cases, 15,000 civil cases, and 18,000 family cases. Only a fraction of its yearly cases go to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

Under Administrative Order JB 05-21, Title 16, §456-A, Maine Freedom of Access Law, and other regulations governing court records in the state, Maine court records are considered public records and can be requested by the public; however, some records are restricted to the public.

Certain records are exempt from public access because of their confidential nature. These include records from cases involving minors, adoptions, and certain medical and health-related matters.

The public has several options for getting court records in Maine. The state also provides both paper and electronic records; however, most records are kept in paper files; depending on the court and when the case was tried, you are more likely to get paper records than electronic records.

State of Maine Court System

There are about 46 court locations in different cities and towns in Maine. Structure-wise, Maine has the Supreme Judicial Court at the apex of its judicial system. It is also the court of final appeal. The court has seven justices and is presided over by the chief justice - the head of the Judicial Branch.

The Supreme Judicial Court is responsible for handling appeals from all lower courts, including its Superior, District, and Probate courts. Its decisions are binding on all Maine courts when they try similar cases. However, certain appeals, such as small claims and eviction appeals, are handled by the Superior Court.

The Court is also in charge of the Judicial Branch. This means that it makes policies and procedural rules that affect all courts in the state and admits lawyers into practice in the state. It also regulates the professional and ethical conduct of judges and lawyers practicing in Maine.

Maine Trial Courts

There are eight judicial regions in Maine. Below the Supreme Court are trial courts. There are Superior Courts and District Courts in eight regions throughout Maine. The Pine Tree State also has a family division under its District Court, as well as a Traffic Violation Bureau, a Treatment Court, and a Business and Consumer Court.

Superior Courts in Maine

Located across the state's eight judicial regions, Maine has 17 Superior Courts. These are Maine's main trial courts with general jurisdiction. The courts are the only level of courts that allow jury trials.

District Courts in Maine

There are 27 District Courts in Maine manned by 44 judges and some Active Retired Judges. The District courts handle civil, criminal, and family cases. It does not use a jury during its trials. This court also has a Family Division, which looks at a variety of cases involving children and families.

Business and Consumer Courts in Maine

Also known as the BCD, the Business and Consumer Court handles selected business and/or consumer cases. The BCD typically hears cases including certain jury and nonjury civil cases, and new cases pending in the Superior and District Courts.

Probate Courts in Maine

Maine Probate Courts are maintained at the county level. Each county in Maine has its own Probate Court. These courts look into the distribution of a person's estate according to their will after death.

What are the Specialty Courts in Maine?

Maine Specialty Courts include its Treatment Courts, which handle cases involving serious substance abuse and mental health disorders. They provide thorough, community-based treatments for eligible individuals involved in criminal justice or child protective systems. These courts include the following:

• Adult Treatment and Recovery Courts
• Co-Occurring Disorders Court
• Family Recovery Court
• Veteran Treatment Courts

Maine State Court Records vs. Federal Court Records

Court records refer to documents, paperwork, exhibits, and other materials a court keeps concerning a case. The major difference between Maine and federal court records is the courts in which they are generated and where they are kept. Maine court records are generated in Maine courts and kept in the Maine Judicial Branch Service Center, while federal court records are generated in federal court and kept in federal facilities in the state. Federal courts operating in or with jurisdiction over Maine include:

• The United States District Court for the District of Maine.
• The United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit.

The Maine judicial system generates its records from criminal, civil, probate (wills), and family cases (divorce, family separation, child protection, and juvenile cases). On the other hand, federal court records are documents from court cases involving the adjudication of cases concerning federal laws. This may include trials where federal crimes like cybercrime, drug trafficking, and treason were committed.

In Maine, most records are kept on paper in the Maine Judicial Branch Service Center and in electronic format. These records can be obtained by sending a request via mail or in-person to the Judicial Branch Service Center or the clerk of the court. Certain Maine records may also be found online. Federal court records, on the other hand, are available on the federal courts database known as the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER).

What Are Public and Non-Public Court Records in Maine?

While most court records in Maine are available for public inspection upon request or by using online search platforms (note that a fee may be attached to obtaining copies of records), some records are restricted to the public. This may be because they have been sealed, redacted, or in some other way restricted due to privacy or confidentiality concerns.

How To Seal or Expunge Maine Court Records

While Maine does not have provisions for expungement, which is the permanent removal of a record from the criminal history record, there are provisions in Maine law for individuals to send a request to the courts for records of their criminal convictions to be sealed. Sealing records is not done automatically in the state. Sealing your record in Maine means that you do not have to disclose such records to persons other than criminal justice agencies, the court, and other agencies described in Title 15 Maine Revised Statutes § 2265.

Not every record of criminal conviction is eligible to be sealed. Even when the conviction is eligible, there may be other conditions that need to be met for that record. For example, to seal a conviction for the crime of taking part in Prostitution, it must have been a year since your sentence alternative was completely fulfilled and you must not have committed certain other crimes like sex trafficking. The following convictions may be sealed:

• Any current Class E crime, or former crimes, excluding select sexual assaults. Class E crimes carry a maximum penalty of a fine of up to $1000 and/or a jail sentence of up to 180 days jail
• A conviction pertaining to particular marijuana crimes
• Aggravated furnishing, cultivation or traffic of scheduled drugs covered by Title 17-A
• Aggravated growing of marijuana covered by Title 17-A
• The Unlawful possession of any scheduled drug outlined by Title 17-A

How To Seal Court Records in Maine

They are certain requirements you must meet to get court records sealed in Maine, these include:

• You must have waited a minimum of 4 years after fully finishing your imposed sentence.
• You must have no pending criminal charges in Maine or in another state or federal court.
• You must not have additional criminal convictions as an adult within the state of Maine, and you aren't allowed to have a dismissed case due to a deferred disposition once you've done the time to finish your sentence.
• You must have not have any additional criminal convictions in additional states, or outside the jurisdiction after your sentence is completed for the offense.

To request your record to be sealed, fill out the Motion to Seal Criminal History (CR-218) form. You may also get a physical variation of this document by visiting the District Court clerk's office. Once you have completed the form, send it to the office of the clerk for each court where your conviction was determined. You may get one attorney to represent you or file your motion yourself.

The court is going to schedule your hearing to review your statutory requirements and will grant the final motion. The motion will order that the conviction be sealed as long as the requirements of sealing are met. When the motion has been granted and the conviction to seal the order is given, your court will give the sealing notice to the State Bureau of Identification, which will then finish sealing the conviction and send a notice by mail to confirm that the record has been sealed.

How To Expunge Court Records in Maine

Maine does not have provisions to expunge court records. This means that there is currently no way to completely erase court records in the state as sealing such records only restricts it to the public.

How Do You Access State of Maine Court Records?

Most Judicial Branch court records are available only in paper format and need to be accessed from the Judicial Branch Service Center or the clerk's office of the court. There are some records that are available electronically via the state's electronic court system.

Online Access to Maine Court Records

Maine court records are available online and are governed by Maine Rules of Electronic Court Systems (MRECS) and Administrative Order JB-20-03. You may find court records in the state using:

• Re:SearchMaine: This platform provides access to public civil cases such as traffic tickets (citations), business and consumer docket cases, personal and non-personal injury tort and contracts as well as other records the court makes accessible. The platform also allows eFiling.

In-Person Access to State of Maine Court Records

To view or get court records in person, you may do the following:

• Send a Record Request: This can be done by filling out a Records Search Request form. If you have questions about copies, contact the Judicial Branch Service Center at (207)-753-2901. Once the form is completed, you may mail it with a self-addressed stamp to the Service Center at:

  Judicial Branch Service Center

  P.O. Box 266

  Lewiston, ME 04240

  If you are using FedEx or UPS, use the following address:

  250 Goddard Road,

  Lewiston, ME 04240.

• Visit or Call the Clerk's Office of the Court: You may also get records by visiting the court where the case was handled. You may obtain paper court records if you can provide such as the name of a party, type of case, or docket number. Individuals can also access electronic records in these courts.

How To Request Judicial Administrative Records

Judicial administrative records refer to court records that are related to the management, supervision, or administration of the court and may not be included in general court records. To get administrative records in Maine, send a request to the Judicial Branch Service Center. You may also contact the Service Center at (207)-753-2901 for more information about obtaining judicial administrative records.

How To Access Older and Archived Court Records in Maine

Certain records in Maine might go way back, up to ten, twenty, or more years ago. To get older or archived court records in Maine, visit the office of the Clerk of Court where the case was tried. You may also visit the Maine State Archive. This bureau keeps a great amount of records including county court records dating back to 1639