Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Court fears system will collapse - 2024

Here are some statements by Valerie Stanfill, the Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Court, on the State of the Judiciary: 

The sobering fact is that no matter how hard we work – and we do - we are not providing timely and safe resolution even in priority cases, those involving liberty, families, and children, much less the plethora of other cases.

Our trial courts spend hours every week just trying to cajole attorneys into taking cases. I hope that adding some public defenders will help, but it will be a while before we really see results. And in the meantime, I fear the system will indeed collapse. 

Decisions reversed - Maine - Pushard v Finch

A unanimous decision by the Maine Supreme Court is reversed, by the Maine Supreme Court. The decision involves the proceedures used by financial institutions in foreclosures...sorry people there'll be no more free houses if the bank makes an error. 

Under Finch, foreclosing lenders will no longer face the draconian consequence of a simple error in a default notice resulting in the forfeiture of its note and mortgage.

How does that happen? I mean a unanimous decision overturned. I read somewhere else, that one of the justices should have recused herself due to a conflict but didn't. 

Rural Maine Counties - Issues

Maine's Rural Counties Scramble to Fill Gaps in Police Patrols Maine Monitor story

'A scary issue': Rural residents raise concerns over crime, scant law enforcement presence News Center Maine - watch and read 

Domestic violence victims ask for funding

Here's a Bangor Daily News story about Victim Services and how only half of the funds that are needed have been approved. The money helps not only victims of domestic violence, but victims of other crimes. From the story:

A recent survey of callers to the National Domestic Violence Hotline found that 39 percent of those who also called police actually felt less safe after calling them; 40 percent said they believed it made no difference.

Office of Professional Standards (OPS) - Maine

📞On Thursday I received a phone call from Officer Christopher Tupper of the Office of Professional Standards regarding my complaint against Corporal Ted Martin. He asked if I had a lawyer. I said "Not yet." I told him I had audio and video footage of Martin's wrongful arrests of me on July 10, and another woman in Saint Agatha on July 11. He wanted me to send him this evidence. I told him "When you play poker, you don't show all your cards."

I have an appointment to speak with an attorney in Aroostook County on Thursday regarding the wrongful arrest and about Shane being sentenced without due process. The Pulitzer Center wrote about accountability of Maine law enforcement in 2019, and you can see that most officers only received temporary suspensions...in other words, unpaid vacations.

Victims of Domestic Violence March in Sanford, Maine

If you ever thought that your vote didn't matter much, read this story at WGME.

Lucas Lanigan won re-election by one vote; and surprisingly it was right after he was charged with choking his wife! Prior to that, Patricia Kidder was ahead of him. Have Americans grown so distrustful of politicians that some just automatically align themselves with criminals? It happened so near the election that voters didn't get a chance to swallow the news?

Another story at WGME says after posting a $3000 bail, Lanigan is not to have contact with his wife. When two people can't seem to end a relationship, things can get complicated and frustrations can turn into violence if appropriate intervention doesn't happen. 

Mediation, in some cases, should include supervised visits, and/or monitoring of telephone conversations. As it stands, even a phone call would be in violation of the order placed on Lanigan. But is completely cutting off ties always the best option? Misplaced frustration can lead to violence. 

The non-profit that organized the march in Sanford is Finding Our Voices. The founder is Patricia McLean, and she interviewed Randall Liberty of the Maine State Prison; his father was an abuser who was in and out of prison. To combat the problems of violence, there's a new state office, The Office of Injury and Violence Prevention, a part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

2.5 years without effective counsel

Shane’s been incarcerated now for over two years, without evidence of self-defense being investigated and considered, and without other individuals being charged...or at least their involvement be considered as a mitigating factor.

After he accepted a plea bargain, Shane was sentenced by Justice Stephen Nelson on 11-08-22 in Aroostook County Superior Court; Nelson may well be the judge who presides over my case AROCD CR 2024 20209. I was wrongfully arrested last summer while on vacation, and I'm being prosecuted for Disorderly Conduct.

The chief justice of the Maine Supreme Court, the mayor and the chief of police of Lewiston, the District Attorney, and others spoke at public meetings held at city hall about violence and public safety. They admit that the system is failing, collapsing, imploding! I'd like to know what they think a total collapse will look like! The State of Maine is violating prisoners' right to counsel. Ineffective counsel is the same as no counsel.

And here's some information about plea bargaining and ineffective counsel.

Follow my blog to get updates about mine and my son’s cases.

Letter to the Court, District Attorney, and Maine State Police

I sent a three-page letter to the court today, four if you include a copy of the threatening text message sent to me from our former tenant/roommate. 

I'm being charged with Disorderly Conduct, but no warning was even given to Kevin for what he did! 

In my letter I requested the judge lift the bail conditions keeping me from being at my property, dismiss the case, but if not dismissed I asked to appear by zoom. And I want the evidence against me...there is none, absolutely none! It was a wrongful arrest. 

If the District Attorney doesn't dismiss the charges, the presiding judge should file a complaint with the Board of Bar of Overseers against him, for malicious prosecution. Most oversights committees dismiss complaints they receive from ordinary people like you and I.

Oh, and I asked for an investigation of the police officer; I threw that in even though I know the judge won't address it. I didn't want to write a separate letter, so I simply added Lieutenant Brian Harris of Troop F to the cc at the end of the letter to the Superior Court, and sent a copy to him, in Houlton.