COURT ALERTS IN EFFECT. Courts
Supreme Judicial Court
The Supreme Judicial Court's major job is to decide appeals on questions of law that arise in civil actions and criminal trials. Questions of law are presented to the Court when a case is appealed from a trial court. In its appellate capacity (as interpreter of the laws), the Court is called the Law Court.
District & Superior Courts
Maine's state principal courts are the District Court, where lesser criminal offenses, civil actions, and family law matters may be tried; the Superior Court, where almost all civil and criminal matters may be tried.
Family Division
The Family Division handles a variety of cases involving families and children in District Court including divorce and family separation, child protection cases, juvenile cases and more.
Traffic Violations
The Violations Bureau handles traffic tickets for the entire State of Maine through a centralized process. Traffic violations are non-criminal offenses also called traffic infractions.
Treatment Courts
Maine treatment courts provide intensive, community-based, court-supervised treatment and strict accountability for eligible individuals with serious substance use and/or mental health disorders who are involved with the criminal justice or child protection system.
Business & Consumer Court
The Business and Consumer Court, also known as the BCD, is a statewide court that handles selected business and/or consumer cases.