Gov. Paul LePage wants to promote a Superior Court justice to the state’s Supreme Court and is nominating a veteran deputy attorney general to the Superior Court bench.
LePage said Wednesday he has nominated Jeffrey L. Hjelm, a Superior Court judge in Knox County since 1998, to the Supreme Judicial Court. Hjelm would replace Jon Levy, who late last month was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a U.S. District Court judge.
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LePage also nominated William R. Stokes, who is chief of the criminal division of the Maine Attorney General’s office, to the state Superior Court.
Hjelm was first appointed to the District Court in 1992 by Gov. John McKernan. He was named to the Superior Court by Gov. Angus King in 1998, renominated by Gov. John Baldacci in 2005 and again by LePage in 2012.
Before becoming a judge, Hjelm was an assistant attorney general and in private practice.
Stokes has been in the Attorney General’s office since 1977 and has served under nine Attorneys General. He is responsible for overseeing prosecution of major crimes, including murder.
Judicial nominations are reviewed by the Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary and must be confirmed by the full Senate.
Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:emurphy@pressherald.com
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