Roland A. Cole at a glance
- Current role
- Senior Justice
- Court
- Maine Superior Court
- Jurisdiction
- Maine · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Roland A. Cole
Senior Justice · Maine Superior Court
Judicial assignments
- Piscataquis County Superior CourtActive Retired Maine Superior Court Justice
The source documents historical or dated service; current service is unconfirmed.
Source checked October 15, 2026. Roster source - Cumberland County Superior CourtSuperior Court Justice
Official judicial directory lists this judge at this court locality/office. Judges may rotate; this is not a complete hearing-by-hearing roster. Listed as active retired; this does not establish a current primary assignment.
Source checked October 15, 2026. Roster source
These published assignments do not certify a complete bench.
Biography
Professional career
- The overview lists chief-justice periods in 1995–1997 and 2015–2019
- Chief Justice: held the role of Chief Justice of the Maine Superior Courts from 2015 to 2019, and previously from 1995 to 1997 during the rotating chief justice system
- Worked closely with former Cumberland County DA Stephanie Anderson and retired Justice Robert Crowley to develop and implement the program
- Cole’s career combined traditional judicial service with innovative criminal justice reform
- Notable: Longest-serving Superior Court justice still on the bench at retirement; second-longest-serving judge in Maine overall
- His work in drug courts reshaped Maine’s approach to substance abuse and criminal justice, and he is widely recognized for his leadership in court reforms
Education
- cites University of Maine B.S., Maine Law LL.B. (1968) and Maine bar admission in 1969.
Additional information
- Retired from Maine’s Superior Court at the end of 2019 after about 38 years of judicial service.
- A planning grant and later federal funding supported its 1998 launch; the program became a model for additional treatment courts.
- District Court service began in 1981; he moved to Superior Court in 1987 under Joseph Brennan.
- Retired justice of the Maine Superior Court, best known for his pivotal role in creating Maine’s first adult drug-treatment court, Project Exodus
- It was modeled after a U.S. Department of Justice grant and later inspired six other Maine drug courts in York, Cumberland, Androscoggin, Penobscot, Hancock, and Washington counties
- Cole helped establish Project Exodus, Maine’s first adult drug-treatment court, with Stephanie Anderson and Robert Crowley.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Maine Administrative Order JB-05-15 bars cameras and audio recording equipment in the courtroom unless coverage has been authorized under the order.
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 ↗
Judicial Discretion
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.
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, effective June 1, 2026
Maine Superior Court
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-10-27JB-05-15 Cameras and Audio Recording in the Courts
Maine Superior Court
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 26, 2026.
Biography sources checked July 26, 2026.
State of Maine Judicial Branch official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View State of Maine Judicial Branch official judicial roster ↗JB-05-15 Cameras and Audio Recording in the Courts
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View JB-05-15 Cameras and Audio Recording in the Courts ↗