43°39′31″N70°15′19″W / 43.658726°N 70.255238°W /43.658726; -70.255238
| United States District Court for the District of Maine | |
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| (D. Me.) | |
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| Location | Edward T. Gignoux U.S. Courthouse (Portland) More locations |
| Appeals to | First Circuit |
| Established | March 30, 1820 |
| Judges | 3 |
| Chief Judge | Lance E. Walker |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | Craig M. Wolff(acting) |
| U.S. Marshal | Kevin W. Neal(acting) |
| www | |
TheU.S. District Court for the District of Maine (incase citations,D. Me.) is theU.S. district court for thestate ofMaine. The District of Maine was one of the original thirteen district courts established by theJudiciary Act of 1789, even though Maine was not a separate state fromMassachusetts until 1820. The court is headquartered at theEdward T. Gignoux United States Courthouse inPortland, Maine, and has a second courthouse inBangor, Maine.
TheU.S. attorney for the District of Maine represents theUnited States in criminal and civil litigation before the court. As of February 22, 2025[update], the U.S. attorney isCraig M. Wolff.[1]
Appeals from the District of Maine are heard by theUnited States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (except forpatent claims and claims against the U.S. government under theTucker Act, which are appealed to theFederal Circuit).
The District of Maine was one of the thirteen original districts created on September 24, 1789, by theJudiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73.[2] At the time, Maine was part of thestate of Massachusetts. As with other jurisdictions of the time, the District of Maine was originally assigned a single judgeship.[2] Not being assigned to a judicial circuit, it was granted the same jurisdiction as theUnited States circuit court, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Massachusetts.[2] The circuit court jurisdiction of the District of Maine was repealed on February 13, 1801 by 2 Stat. 89, and restored on March 8, 1802 by 2 Stat. 132.[2] On March 30, 1820, shortly after Maine entered the Union, the District of Maine was assigned to the First Circuit and its internal circuit court jurisdiction was again repealed by 3 Stat. 554.[2] A second judgeship was authorized on October 20, 1978, by, 92 Stat. 1629, and a third was authorized on December 1, 1990, by 104 Stat. 5089.[2]
As of October 11, 2025[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 19 | Chief Judge | Lance E. Walker | Bangor | 1972 | 2018–present | 2024–present | — | Trump |
| 20 | District Judge | Stacey D. Neumann | Portland | 1978 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 21 | District Judge | vacant | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Senior Judge | D. Brock Hornby | inactive | 1944 | 1990–2010 | 1996–2003 | 2010–present | G.H.W. Bush |
| 15 | Senior Judge | George Z. Singal | Portland | 1945 | 2000–2013 | 2003–2009 | 2013–present | Clinton |
| 16 | Senior Judge | John A. Woodcock Jr. | Portland | 1950 | 2003–2017 | 2009–2015 | 2017–present | G.W. Bush |
| 17 | Senior Judge | Nancy Torresen | inactive | 1959 | 2011–2025 | 2015–2018 | 2025–present | Obama |
| 18 | Senior Judge | Jon D. Levy | inactive | 1954 | 2014–2024 | 2019–2024 | 2024–present | Obama |
| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Portland | Nancy Torresen | Senior status | October 11, 2025 | – | – |
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Sewall | ME | 1735–1825 | 1789–1818 | — | — | Washington | resignation |
| 2 | Albion Parris | ME | 1788–1857 | 1818–1822 | — | — | Monroe | resignation |
| 3 | Ashur Ware | ME | 1782–1873 | 1822–1866 | — | — | Monroe | resignation |
| 4 | Edward Fox | ME | 1815–1881 | 1866–1881 | — | — | A. Johnson | death |
| 5 | Nathan Webb | ME | 1825–1902 | 1882–1902 | — | — | Arthur | retirement |
| 6 | Clarence Hale | ME | 1848–1934 | 1902–1922 | — | 1922–1934 | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 7 | John A. Peters | ME | 1864–1953 | 1922–1947[3][4][5] | — | 1947–1953 | Harding | retirement |
| 8 | John David Clifford Jr. | ME | 1887–1956 | 1947–1956 | — | — | Truman | death |
| 9 | Edward Thaxter Gignoux | ME | 1916–1988 | 1957–1983 | 1978–1983 | 1983–1988 | Eisenhower | death |
| 10 | George J. Mitchell | ME | 1933–present | 1979–1980 | — | — | Carter | resignation |
| 11 | Conrad K. Cyr | ME | 1931–2016 | 1981–1989 | 1983–1989 | — | Reagan | elevation to1st Cir. |
| 12 | Gene Carter | ME | 1935–2021 | 1983–2003 | 1989–1996 | 2003–2021 | Reagan | death |
| 14 | Morton A. Brody | ME | 1933–2000 | 1991–2000 | — | — | G.H.W. Bush | death |
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known assenior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
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| Note | American Samoa does not have a district court or federal territorial court; federal matters there go to theDistrict of Columbia,Hawaii, orits own Supreme Court. |
