Maine Law

Maine residents are subject to Maine state and U.S. federal laws. Federal laws apply in Maine as they do across all 50 states. In addition to the U.S. Constitution, which is the supreme law of the U.S., federal laws include statutes that are periodically codified in the U.S. Code. Federal laws also include decisions by courts that interpret federal laws. Finally, federal laws include regulations issued by federal administrative agencies to implement federal laws. You can explore federal laws and related resources by visiting the federal law section of the Justia site.

The state of Maine also has its own state laws. Maine state laws include the Maine Constitution, laws passed by the Maine legislature and periodically codified in the Maine Revised Statutes, and decisions by courts that interpret Maine laws.

The Maine Constitution is relatively short compared to many state constitutions, consisting of only 10 articles. The state re-codifies the Constitution every 10 years, which means that it deletes repealed sections while preserving the overall structure. Article X provides that a constitutional amendment will be placed on a ballot if two-thirds of each chamber of the legislature vote in its favor. Maine was the first state to require just one stage of voting by the legislature before putting an amendment on a ballot. (This rule later was adopted by many other states.) Under Article IV, meanwhile, the legislature can arrange for a constitutional convention if two-thirds of each chamber vote in favor.

The Maine Revised Statutes contain the laws passed by the Maine legislature. These laws and the provisions of the Maine Constitution are often interpreted by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, which is the only appellate court in the state. The federal Maine District Court also issues decisions that may affect Maine residents. The First Circuit Court of Appeals holds the authority to review decisions by the Maine District Court. Sometimes the U.S. Supreme Court may review a case that has been appealed from the First Circuit or from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.