--- title: "Catherine R. Connors | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-r-connors-justice-maine-supreme-judicial-court-me" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Catherine R. Connors Maine Supreme Judicial Court · Associate Justice ## Profile - Court: Maine Supreme Judicial Court - State: Maine - Role: Associate Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - American judge and Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, a position she has held since February 4, 2020 - Appointed by: Governor Janet Mills on January 6, 2020 to replace Justice Jeffrey Hjelm - Early Career: Law clerk for Chief Judge John F. Grady, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois Appellate attorney at Pierce Atwood - She clerked for federal Judge John F. Grady, then practiced appellate law at Pierce Atwood in Portland ### Education - Northwestern University, College of Arts and Sciences - Northwestern University School of Law ### Additional information - It gives nomination by Janet Mills in January 2020, committee approval January 30, Senate confirmation February 4, and a term through February 2027, replacing Jeffrey Hjelm - As of late 2024 and into 2025, Connors has been involved in a Committee on Judicial Conduct investigation into alleged violations of the Maine Code of Judicial Conduct - The collected biographical information identifies Catherine R. Connors was born January 26, 1959 in East Orange, New Jersey, with Northwestern B.A. magna cum laude (1981) and Northwestern J.D. cum laude (1984), Phi Beta Kappa and Order of the Coif - handling more than 100 appeals - It details leadership of the firm’s GLAD partnership and an amicus brief opposing the Defense of Marriage Act - Connors’ legal work has centered on appellate litigation in both civil and criminal matters, with extensive experience in the U.S. Courts of Appeals and the Maine Supreme Judicial Court - handling civil and criminal cases in federal and state courts, including petitions for review of administrative decisions American Academy of Appellate Lawyers Led Pierce Atwood’s partnership with the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the striking down of the Defense of Marriage Act - Birth, appeal count, and precise dates remain overview claims - KnowJudges is an observed circular citation rather than independent evidence ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### cameras audio recording Scope: statewide Maine Administrative Order JB-05-15 bars cameras and audio recording equipment in the courtroom unless coverage has been authorized under the order. Evidence excerpt: No cameras or audio recording equipment shall be allowed in the courtroom unless coverage of any events or proceeding has been authorized pursuant to this order. [JB-05-15 Cameras and Audio Recording in the Courts](https://www.courts.maine.gov/adminorders/jb-05-15.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### judicial discretion Scope: statewide Maine authorizes trial and appellate judicial officers to consider camera and recording coverage and permit it in their sole discretion if court integrity will not be adversely affected. Evidence excerpt: authorized to consider camera and recording coverage, and to permit it in their sole discretion if the integrity of the court proceedings will not be adversely affected. [JB-05-15 Cameras and Audio Recording in the Courts](https://www.courts.maine.gov/adminorders/jb-05-15.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/sjc/justices.html) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/sjc/justices.html) - [State of Maine Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/sjc/justices.html) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16210/catherine-r-connors/) - [JB-05-15 Cameras and Audio Recording in the Courts](https://www.courts.maine.gov/adminorders/jb-05-15.pdf) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/16210/catherine-r-connors/) - [justices.html](https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/sjc/justices.html) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-r-connors-justice-maine-supreme-judicial-court-me", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-r-connors-justice-maine-supreme-judicial-court-me", "name": "Catherine R. 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Connors", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/catherine-r-connors-justice-maine-supreme-judicial-court-me" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [JB-05-15 Cameras and Audio Recording in the Courts](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-2090a1c278960f4443c4a460) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.courts.maine.gov/adminorders/jb-05-15.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.