Maine Court Records
Maine court records are the documents created by or given to a court within its jurisdictions. These records relate to the facts of cases handled by Maine state courts, the decision-making process, and associated dates. Court record documents include details admitted on evidence, transcripts, opinions of lower courts, and instructions to the jury. These can be valuable to understand what arguments are persuasive to the court and facts that are not often reviewed in detail though they have been published.
Maine courts are required to store the active case files and documents following depositions. County clerks also maintain jurisdictional records like land transfers, judgments, liens, and deeds. According to the Maine Freedom of Access Act, court records are deemed public domain. That means they can be inspected and copied by any interested party provided there are no barring legal restrictions. Though court filings may be considered public information, it is provided they do not contain sensitive material. Some records earn restrictions due to their nature, including juvenile cases, child abuse, custody, mental health scenarios, or ongoing criminal investigations. Maine also follows a digitized system that allows record seekers to access information depending on the court where the desired case was heard.
Which State Courts Maintain Publicly Accessible Records?
Maine’s judicial system is grouped according to the Supreme, Superior, District, Family Division, violations bureau treatment, and the business or consumer courts. These courts handle the state's civil, criminal, probate, family, and traffic violation cases. The records are available to the public, provided no legal restrictions are involved.
Supreme Judicial Court
It is the highest court in Maine, acting as the last resort for individuals that would want to appeal their cases that were decided at the lower courts. The Maine Supreme Court also handles appeals on questions of the law that come up from the District, Probate, and Superior court jurisdictions. Aside from appeals, the Supreme Court also governs the judicial branch in Maine, which means policy and procedure that would be utilized in other state courts. Individuals that would like information on cases may consult the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Clerk’s office on weekdays from 8 am to 4 pm, except on court holidays and administrative weeks.
Superior and District Courts
Maine’s superior court is the main trial court. It is also the only court level where there are jury trials. The Superior courts are found within eight judicial regions as well. Maine’s district courts are also found within the eight judicial regions. They hear the civil, criminal, and family matters though these do not sit with a jury.
Family Division
Though the district courts may also hear related cases, this court is tasked with handling cases involving children and families. The division handles decisions on children, parents, education programs, juvenile cases, abuse, and statewide family-related resources. Juvenile offenders in Maine are also treated in a different manner than adults. The juvenile court in Maine focuses on giving young offenders care, appropriate treatment, and guidance. If one has a question concerning a family matters case, they can contact the court clerk where it was heard. There may be some restrictions, though, especially for sensitive material on juveniles, child custody, divorce settlements, financial disclosures, and abuse cases.
Business and Consumer Court
This court is known as the Business and Consumer Docket, which handles cases resolving commercial disputes. It also handles jury and nonjury civil actions, which are not limited to appeals. This division may hear new filings and pending cases within the District courts. An application for transfer to this division would be done at the court where the case is currently pending. The application has to be served by all parties.
Should the case be approved for transfer and the file be transmitted to the BCD, it will get a new docket number. That is important, considering it would be needed when parties are submitting a request to view the records. Once the case has been transferred, it will stay with the same judge until the conclusion. One can contact the court clerk at the Cumberland County Courthouse to access records from the Business and Consumer Division.
Treatment Courts
Maine treatment courts are there to provide community-based, supervised intervention for eligible individuals that have substance dependency. The goal of a treatment court is to address the underlying cause of criminal behavior. It is also to increase the accountability of individuals along with their families. For queries on treatment court records, interested parties may contact the Specialty Dockets & Grants Coordinator.
Violations Bureau
The Maine violations bureau deals with traffic tickets through a centralized process. These entail non-criminal offenses, which would attract fines rather than sentences in prison. It is possible to search these records via the Odyssey Portal or the Violation Bureau in person. They have a helpline which can be reached from 8 am to 4.30 pm. For those who want to contest the traffic ticket, it is possible to do so via the Maine guide link.
What are the Common Public Court Records in the State?
Small Claims and Civil Court Cases
Small claims and civil court case records concern informal court processes where the plaintiff seeks a judgment of up to $6,000. For civil court records, though, the claim may be much higher. Examples of such cases include purchasing unsatisfactory goods, collecting a debt, or landlord disputes. Both sides are invited to call witnesses during the court case, and their testimonies are given under oath.
The judge hears the proceedings without the assistance of the jury and decides if the evidence offered is enough entitlement for the plaintiff or the defendant to win the case. Should the plaintiff win and the defendant does not honor their part in the judgment, they can take another step to collect. One way would be requesting the defendant to go to court for a disclosure hearing which determines if the defendant has enough income and assets to make the payment.
Most small claims and civil case records are available to the public as they do not contain sensitive material. That means they do not have any legal restrictions. Records are stored by the clerk of the court’s office. These may also be heard from district courts in Maine, so it is possible to access the record from the appropriate court clerk. In these cases, it is also possible to access small claims records via the Odyssey portal.
Criminal Case Records
These are cases that are brought to the attention of the Maine courts against individuals that have committed felonies. Maine then brings the charge to the person via the local District Attorney’s office. If the defendant is found guilty of the crime, the punitive measures imposed by the state include imprisonment, fines, or probation. If a fine is issued, then it is paid to the state rather than the victim of the crime. The judge can also order the defendant, in some cases, though, to make restitution to the victim for losses caused by the offense.
The District or Superior courts hear these cases, so interested parties may access the records by visiting the court clerk where it was heard. Alternatively, requesters may also use the online portal for record access. The nature of criminal records, though, is sensitive, considering it may entail ongoing investigations. For the restricted ones, they can only be accessed by legal representatives, parties to the case, or court officials.
Family Case Records
Maine family division courts cater to cases that involve both families and children. That is child support, divorce, family separation, parent education, abuse, and juvenile cases. These court records are typically sensitive, so many may not be available to all interested parties. Records involving juveniles, child abuse, custody, and divorce are confidential, so eligible parties can only view them. If a requester has a query concerning a current or concluded family matters case, they may contact the clerk of the court handling the case. Alternatively, for general inquiries, record seekers may go to the Family Division of the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy courts deal with financial information on individuals and groups that have failed to pay their creditors. The records include information on gross income and the party’s sources. Assets information is also reviewed, such as stock, real estate, and businesses owned or invested. Records entail unsecured and secured creditors as well. The latter holds the higher priority as they include tax agencies like the IRS of corporations which got official security pledges.
Bankruptcy records in Maine are public, so most interested parties can access them. This information would be obtained from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine. Alternatively, requesters may search and retrieve the desired records through the PACER platform. To access the information on third-party websites or the designated online portal, a record seeker would have to provide the complete name of the debtor on the record and the bankruptcy case number.
Traffic Violations
The violations bureau handles all traffic-related records in Maine, and these are accessible to requesters provided there are no barring legal exemptions. Interested parties may contact the Bureau for further information. It is also possible to look up traffic violations using the official Maine platform. The web portal provides access to the driving records of an individual upon entering their license number. Record seekers may also have to enter their name and date of birth.
On locating the driving record, the user can view any reported traffic infractions. It should yield upwards of three year/s worth of data on the record, showing the counties where violations were committed, types of infractions, fine amounts, and the dates. The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles also offers search information for driving records. Though, it is not as detailed, such as the types of infractions and the date they occurred. Some records are also considered confidential, so they may not all be available depending on the request.
Does Maine Have a Case Search?
Accessing court records via the Maine-specific Odyssey case search portal is possible. Parties and case attorneys of the court records can also request elevated access to the filed information. This is the most convenient way to access the court records. Users can search for a file by giving a case number or party name and clicking the ‘Smart search’ button on the portal search page. The platform will provide a number of results depending on the criteria provided. The requester may select the desired option, which will illustrate the case docket sheet, the Registry of Actions.
Record seekers can search for the records without signing up for an account. Registering for an account on Odyssey is also free of charge. That being said, there are costs for the download of court documents. Interested parties would be charged $1 a page. However, if one is an eligible party, such as parties or legal representatives, there are no costs for elevated access to the records. Parties to the case and legal representatives have to access records other than their filings via the Odyssey portal.
The Maine Rules of electronic court systems service govern the access to these records. This policy system evaluates the significance of complete access and privacy protection for court records, especially in electronic case management. It has created three groups of access. Records accessible remotely are those that the public can access at the courthouse, as eFiling is available, and files accessed by eligible parties.
The RECS system provides that particular documents, data, and cases are designated nonpublic and restricted from general access. The records which fall into the first category are traffic tickets, small claims, and civil cases. As eFiling continues to grow to the other case types, it will be possible to access all files on cases remotely. However, court records for older closed or inactive cases are sometimes not available in electronic form, except for traffic violations. For these, a request may be made for court records by going to the clerk’s office where the court was heard.
Counties in Maine
- Androscoggin
- Aroostook
- Cumberland
- Franklin
- Hancock
- Kennebec
- Knox
- Lincoln
- Oxford
- Penobscot
- Piscataquis
- Sagadahoc
- Somerset
- Waldo
- Washington
- York