Attorneys debated Monday whether the petition before Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court, which calls on the state to identify everyone in jail without a lawyer, was filed appropriately.
Emily Allen
Staff Writer
Emily Allen covers courts for the Portland Press Herald. It's her favorite beat so far — before moving to Maine in 2022, she reported on a wide range of topics for public radio in West Virginia and was the City Hall reporter for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota. Emily is not a fan of the cold, but she puts up with Maine's challenging winters because she loves the state's beautiful hiking options ... once the snow has cleared.
Posted inMaine
Judiciary asks Maine’s high court to dismiss petition to release unrepresented defendants
Supreme Judicial Court Justice Wayne Douglas will meet Monday with attorneys to discuss the petition to identify and release from county jails low-income people who are being held pretrial without an attorney.
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Posted inMaine
Agency submits $8.9 million proposal to create public defender offices across state
The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services is not asking to fund the offices all at once, but wants state leaders to commit to the proposal.
Posted inMaine
Rockport man will serve 18 months for pandemic relief fraud
Prosecutors say that Mark X. Haley II perpetrated “the largest heist from any (Paycheck Protection Program) fraud case yet prosecuted in the District of Maine.”
Posted inMaine
Maine AG’s office disagrees with judge’s criticism on late disclosures, but promises changes
Defense attorneys say they struggle regularly with prosecutors waiting too long to share constitutionally mandated evidence.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime
Man sentenced to 7 years in prison for shooting at Portland’s Riverton Park
Abdihamit Ali, 23, was sentenced Friday for the September 2022 shooting that left 1 woman injured and bullet holes in a child’s bedroom.
Posted inMaine, News
Lawyers seek release for woman jailed nearly 3 months without representation
Two attorneys, concerned about Maine’s legal defense system for the poor, are urging the state’s highest court to release a woman they say has been jailed for more than 80 days without a court-appointed attorney – as well as anyone “similarly situated.”
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime, News
Brewer man to serve 6 years in prison for infant son’s death
Ronald Harding was given a 15-year sentence, most of which was was suspended, for killing his 6-week-old son, Jaden, in May 2021.
Posted inMaine, Maine Crime
Down East man sentenced to 32 years for killing girlfriend
A judge said it’s effectively a life sentence for 67-year-old Paul DeForest, who pleaded guilty last month to murdering Eva Cox.
Posted inMaine, News
Maine AG defends law eliminating statute of limitations on child sex abuse claims
This is the first time the Office of the Maine Attorney General has weighed in on the constitutionality of the 2021 law, which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland is challenging on the grounds that it creates new liability and exposes defendants to ‘tens of millions of dollars’ in potential claims.