--- title: "Jennifer Nofsinger | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jennifer-nofsinger-judge-maine-district-court-me" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Jennifer Nofsinger Maine District Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Maine District Court - State: Maine - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Current role: Judge, Maine District Court (Portland, Cumberland County) ### Education - Jennifer W. Nofsinger completed her J.D. at the University of Maine School of Law in 2003. ### Additional information - Liberty Counsel and others have appealed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which in September 2026 upheld Nofsinger’s decision, reasoning that the allocation of religious authority to one parent did not infringe on the other’s constitutional rights in this case The Daily Signal - The official 2024 treatment-court report records that she began presiding over the Cumberland County Adult Drug Treatment and Recovery Court and Veterans Treatment Court on January 1, 2025. - Before judicial service, she practiced in Portland, working in medical malpractice, litigation and appeals. - The ruling drew strong criticism from Liberty Counsel and other religious liberty advocates, who argued it violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments by stripping the mother of her right to direct her child’s religious upbringing. - Jennifer W. Nofsinger is a judge of the Maine District Court, assigned in Portland, Cumberland County, and is known for a high-profile custody ruling involving religious activity restrictions - Her Maine District Court work includes an assignment in Portland, Cumberland County. ## 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/district/judges.html) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/district/judges.html) - [State of Maine Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.courts.maine.gov/courts/district/judges.html) - [JB-05-15 Cameras and Audio Recording in the Courts](https://www.courts.maine.gov/adminorders/jb-05-15.pdf) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jennifer-nofsinger-judge-maine-district-court-me", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/jennifer-nofsinger-judge-maine-district-court-me", "name": "Jennifer Nofsinger | KnowJudges", "description": "Jennifer Nofsinger, Maine District Court. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.courts.maine.gov/rules/text/mrscp%202024-11-01.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, effective June 1, 2026](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-65cbb3937209d2a8ec864c35) — Applicable civil actions in Superior and District Courts; family and specialized-case restrictions remain applicable. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.courts.maine.gov/rules/text/mr_civ_p_only_2026-06-01.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [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.