--- title: "Rick E. Lawrence | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rick-e-lawrence-justice-maine-supreme-judicial-court-me" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Rick E. Lawrence 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 - Associate Justice, Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2022-present - American judge and the first African American justice appointed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, serving since May 4, 2022 - Rick E. Lawrence became a Maine Supreme Judicial Court justice in 2022, succeeding Ellen Gorman, and is described as the court’s first African American justice - As an Associate Justice, Lawrence participates in the court’s appellate work, which includes reviewing significant legal issues in Maine ### Education - cites Yale University B.A. (1977) and Harvard Law School J.D. (1986). ### Additional information - The overview reports Mills’s nomination in March 2022, Senate confirmation in April and swearing-in May 4, 2022. - Maine District Court in Lewiston from 2000 to 2022, initially appointed by Angus King and later reappointed under Baldacci and LePage. - He became deputy chief in April 2020. - Rick E. Lawrence was born November 4, 1955 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. - Before entering the judiciary, he served as an attorney, vice president and managing counsel at Unum, and as an associate at Pierce Atwood - Earlier legal work included an associate position at Pierce Atwood and vice-president/managing-counsel work at Unum. - His tenure is part of the court’s seven-member panel, with justices appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate - His appointment was unanimous in the Senate Judiciary Committee and marked a milestone in Maine’s judicial history ## 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/16211/rick-e-lawrence/) - [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/16211/rick-e-lawrence/) - [Wikidata: Rick E. Lawrence](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q111224868) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rick-e-lawrence-justice-maine-supreme-judicial-court-me", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rick-e-lawrence-justice-maine-supreme-judicial-court-me", "name": "Rick E. Lawrence | KnowJudges", "description": "Rick E. Lawrence, Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rick-e-lawrence-justice-maine-supreme-judicial-court-me#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rick-e-lawrence-justice-maine-supreme-judicial-court-me#judge", "name": "Rick E. 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Lawrence", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rick-e-lawrence-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.