Pandemic Management Orders

Face masks are not required to enter a courthouse or other Judicial Branch facility. Please be advised certain areas of a courthouse, such as small conference rooms, may require masking. Please see PPMO-SJC-1.

All superseded pandemic management orders & rules have been removed from the Judicial Branch website.

Post-Pandemic Management Orders

PPMO-SJC-1: Administrative Order and Notice from the Maine Supreme Court (Rev. May 4, 2022)
PPMO-SJC-1 governs the health status requirements of individuals entering Maine's courthouses and other Judicial Branch facilities; provides regional courts with case scheduling authority and discretion to presiding judicial officers to determine the format for court proceedings (either remotely or in-person); sets a minimum filing date for all criminal complaints/summons before arraignment; governs the format for Supreme Judicial Court Oral Arguments; allows boards and committees to conduct activities remotely; and rescinds a number of previously issued Pandemic Management Orders (PMOs).

PPMO-SJC-2: Order Regarding Trial Court Remote Proceedings (June 1, 2021)
PPMO-SJC-2 rescinds and replaces PMO-SJC-7 to ensure participation in remote proceedings complies with due process and proper procedure.

PPMO-TC-1: Administrative Order from the Maine Trial Court Chiefs Regarding Previous Pandemic Management Orders (July 13, 2021)
PPMO-TC-1 rescinds PMO-TC-1.

Pandemic Management Orders

PMO-SJC-2: Pandemic Management Order from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court Consolidating, Ratifying, and Superseding the Previous Orders (Rev. December 14, 2020) Please note PMO-SJC-2(B) has been rescinded by PPMO-SJC-1 effective June 1, 2021. This order consolidates, clarifies, corrects, and ratifies earlier emergency orders, including the administration of oaths at depositions conducted remotely via audio-video communication equipment and other matters.

PMO-SJC-3: Order Regarding Submission of Documents by Email (Rev. May 27, 2021)  Effective beginning June 7, 2021, Maine courts will no longer accept the filing by email of any documents except as permitted by PMO-SJC-3A.

PMO-SJC-3A: Order Regarding Submission of Documents by Email in Protection from Abuse and Protection from Harassment Cases (June 1, 2021)
This order establishes special rules and processes for email filing in Protection from Abuse and Protection from Harassment cases.

PMO-SJC-6 Emergency Rules from the Supreme Judicial Court for Forcible Entry and Detainer (Eviction) Cases (Rev. June 1, 2021)
Revised procedures for addressing FED (eviction) cases, including the scheduling of a telephonic status conferences, followed in appropriate cases by mediation and/or final hearing, are included in this PMO. The previous revision introduced a remote docket call pilot project through March 31, 2021. The most recent revision extends the pilot project through June 30, 2021. An attached Addendum to the order identifies where the project will be piloted and the effective date of the pilot project for each court.

PMO-SJC-8: Emergency Rules from the Supreme Judicial Court on Waiver of Initial Appearances (Rev. December 14, 2020)
Any represented defendant who is not in custody and is charged with a Class A, B, or C criminal offense may waive the defendant's initial appearance, unless otherwise ordered by the court. The most recent revision allows submission of written waivers of initial appearances and arraignments by retained and appointed counsel and provides a sample waiver letter. 

PMO-SJC-12 Order Creating a Pilot Project for Stand-Alone Small Claims Mediation (May 6, 2021)
This order creates a pilot project for certain small claims cases that gives parties the opportunity to mediate their matters before the District Court resumes scheduling and hearing small claims cases. This pilot project's stand-alone small claims mediation shall be held remotely via Zoom, with telephonic mediation as a back-up option. The revised order adds two additional weeks to the pilot project, June 7-11, 2021, and July 12-16, 2021.