Rick E. Lawrence Explained

Rick Lawrence
Office:	Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court
Appointer:	Janet Mills
Term Start:	May 4, 2022
Predecessor:	Ellen Gorman
Birth Date:	4 November 1955
Birth Place:	Great Barrington, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education:	Yale University (BA) Harvard University (JD)

Rick E. Lawrence (born November 4, 1955) is an American lawyer who has served as an associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court since 2022.

Education

Lawrence received his Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 1977 and his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1986.^{[1] [2]}

Career

Prior to his judicial service, Lawrence was an attorney and vice president and managing counsel at Unum and as an associate at Pierce Atwood.

Judicial service

Lawrence served as a state district judge from April 5, 2000 to May 4, 2022.^[3] He was first nominated by governor Angus King and then renominated by governor John Baldacci, governor Paul LePage and Governor Mills. He served as deputy chief judge since April 2020.^[4]

Maine Supreme Judicial Court

On March 7, 2022, governor Janet Mills nominated Lawrence to serve as an associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to the seat to be vacated by Justice Ellen Gorman who announced her intent to retire in January 2021. On April 8, 2022, his nomination was unanimously reported out of the judiciary committee.^[5] On April 12, 2022, his nomination was unanimously confirmed by the Maine Senate.^{[6] [7] [8]} Lawrence was sworn into office on May 4, 2022.^{[9] [10]} He is the first African American justice on the high court.^[11]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hon. Rick E. Lawrence Judge Profile on Martindale.com . March 13, 2022 . www.martindale.com.
2. Governor Mills Nominates Judge Rick Lawrence to Maine Supreme Judicial Court . March 7, 2022 . Office of Governor Janet T. Mills . March 13, 2022.
3. https://cloudup.com/c2CjaysW5N5 Governor's Judicial Nominations Advisory Committee — Candidate Questionnaire, January 7, 2022
4. Web site: Allen . Emily . March 7, 2022 . District Judge Rick Lawrence nominated to Maine Supreme Judicial Court . March 13, 2022.
5. Web site: Williams . Christopher . April 8, 2022 . Lewiston judge gets full support of committee for high court job . April 15, 2022 . Lewiston Sun Journal.
6. Web site: Cover . Susan . April 12, 2022 . State Senate confirms Lawrence as Maine's first Black high court justice . May 2, 2022 . spectrumlocalnews.com . en.
7. Web site: April 12, 2022 . Maine Senate confirms first Black justice to state's highest court . May 2, 2022 . WPFO . en.
8. Governor Mills Congratulates Judge Rick Lawrence on Confirmation to Maine Supreme Judicial Court . April 12, 2022 . Office of Governor Janet T. Mills .
9. Web site: Cover . Susan . May 4, 2022 . Lawrence makes history as Maine's 1st Black high court justice . May 8, 2022 . spectrumlocalnews.com . en.
10. Web site: May 6, 2022 . Rick Lawrence sworn in as first Black justice for Maine's highest court . May 9, 2022 . news.yahoo.com . en-US.
11. Web site: March 7, 2022 . Nominee could become the first Black justice on Maine's highest court . March 13, 2022 . WMTW . en.