Governor also announces nominations to Superior Court and District Court

Governor Janet Mills announced today that she has nominated the Honorable Julia Lipez to serve as an Associate Justice on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Justice Lipez has served on the Maine Superior Court since 2022.

"I am delighted to nominate Justice Julia Lipez to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court," said Governor Janet Mills. "Throughout her service to Maine people - first as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and presently as a Justice of the Maine Superior Court - Justice Lipez has earned deep respect for her fairness, intellect, and commitment to the rule of law. Maine is lucky to have a jurist of Justice Lipez's caliber as a nominee for the Supreme Judicial Court."

"I am deeply honored by Governor Mills' nomination to serve as an Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court," said Justice Julia Lipez. "If confirmed, I will serve the people of Maine as I have throughout my career in law and public service - with a commitment to fairness and justice, and equality before the law."

Prior to serving on the Maine Superior Court, Justice Lipez served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for Maine from 2011-2022, during which time she led prosecutions of human trafficking, child exploitation, fraud, narcotics, and other serious and violent crimes. In 2019, she was promoted to Chief of the Appellate Division of the U.S. Attorney Office for Maine.

In May 2024, President Biden nominated Justice Lipez to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, but the U.S. Senate did not advance her nomination prior to the adjournment of the 118th Congress in January.

Justice Lipez is a graduate of Stanford Law School and earned her undergraduate degree at Amherst College. Before entering public service, she spent three years in private practice with international law firm WilmerHale and was a law clerk for the United State Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Baltimore. A Maine native, she resides in Cape Elizabeth with her family. A headshot of Lipez is attached.

Justice Lipez is Governor Mills' sixth new nominee to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court since taking office in 2019. Governor Mills also renominated Associate Justice Andrew Mead in May 2021.

Governor Mills today also announced nominations for the Maine Superior Court and Maine District Court:

• The Honorable Darcie McElwee for Justice, Maine Superior Court: McElwee, a native of Caribou, recently completed service as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine. She served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for Maine for nearly two decades, spending significant time handling cases involving violent crimes. Prior to her service as a U.S. Attorney, McElwee served as an Assistant District Attorney in Bangor and Dover-Foxcroft. A resident of Scarborough, McElwee is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of Maine School of Law.
• Amy Dietrich for Judge, Maine District Court: A practicing attorney for sixteen years, Dietrich is currently a shareholder at Skelton Taintor & Abbott in her hometown of Lewiston. Prior to returning to Maine in 2014, Dietrich represented a variety of clients as an associate at law firms in New York City. An Auburn resident, Dietrich is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University School of Law.
• The Honorable Matthew Tice for Reappointment to the Maine District Court: Judge Matthew Tice has served on the Maine District Court since June 4, 2018. Prior to his appointment, Judge Tice spent more than two decades as an Assistant District Attorney in Cumberland County. Judge Tice has been deeply involved in the administration of Maine's Adult Treatment and Recovery Courts - specialty dockets for those whose involvement in the criminal justice system has been fueled by substance abuse - and in state efforts to respond to the opioid crisis. A graduate of the Syracuse University School of Law and Bethany College, Tice is a resident of Scarborough.

Each nomination is subject to the review of the Maine Legislature's Judiciary Committee and confirmation by the Maine Senate.