Gov. Paul LePage announced the nomination Tuesday of three District Court judges to the Maine Superior Court bench.

The nominations of Wayne Douglas, Bruce Mallonee and Lance Walker will be reviewed by the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. All three will then need confirmation by the Maine Senate.

“In choosing judges, my focus is on the qualifications, demeanor and integrity of the candidates, not politics,” LePage said in a written statement. “These nominees reflect those priorities.”

Douglas, of Old Orchard Beach, was first appointed as a District Court judge in 2002 by Gov. Angus King. Before that, he was King’s chief legal counsel and associate commissioner of the Maine Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. If confirmed, he will replace Justice Paul Fritzsche, who will retire in July.

Mallonee was appointed as a District Court judge in 2010 by Gov. John Baldacci. He is a Bangor native and former partner in the law firm Rudman Winchell in Bangor. He would replace Justice Joyce Wheeler, who recently retired.

Walker, of Falmouth, was appointed as a District Court judge by LePage last year. He previously was a partner in the Portland law firm Norman, Hanson & DeTroy and was a law clerk to three Superior Court justices. He would replace Justice Thomas Humphrey, who has been nominated to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:

erussell@pressherald.com

Twitter: PPHEricRussell


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