You can read about the story at the Portland Press Herald, titled Sexual Harassment Complaint against former Maine judge dismissed. According to the story U.S. District Court Judge Lance Walker dismissed the case against the judge, because he said "existing law was not clear in this case."
If you can't access that story, here's the opinion Pike v Budd at Casetext. And here's an indepth article I found at the California Law Review, titled Qualified Immunity's Flawed Foundation, written in February of 2023 by Alexander A. Reinert. From the Introduction:
Qualified immunity—the affirmative defense available to government officials sued in damages for violations of federal law—is under renewed assault.
Could qualified immunity be on it's way out, or it's use be limited?
Even though the court case against Judge Budd was dismissed, the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar Association is taking testimony, because they can vote to suspend the judge's law license, and/or fine him.
And here are the links to listen to the various hearings that will be held by the Board today and tomorrow by Zoom.
There's also a hearing on November 26, regarding Attorney Daniel Feldman, who I spoke with the other day. He says he wants to quit representing certain defendants that the state owes him money for; but until they can appoint another attorney, they won't drop him from the case.
Feldman claims he has a shared interest in the state resolving the issues in the ACLU's case Robbins v MCILS (now MCPDS) for violations of the 6th Amendment right to counsel...and he is asking to be a party in the class action case.
