SENATOR VALENTINO APPLAUDS CHIEF JUSTICE’S COMMITMENT TO MODERNIZING MAINE COURTS, ADDRESSING DRUG ABUSE

AUGUSTA—Earlier this morning, Chief Justice Leigh Saufley delivered the annual State of the Judiciary to a Joint Session of the Maine Legislature. The Chief Justice called on the Legislature to continue supporting efforts to bring Maine’s courts into the digital age, and address the growing problem of illegal drug abuse in Maine by coupling intervention with prevention.

“I applaud Justice Saufley for her commitment to increasing public access to our courts,” said Senator Linda Valentino of Saco, the Senate Chair of the Judiciary Committee. “Mainers already enjoy full access to the Legislature, and the Judiciary is a coequal branch of government. Maine people should have the same access to the Courts as they do to the Legislature.

According to the Chief Justice, the court’s current database is almost twenty years old and was not designed for the electronic exchange of information. A new system would allow the exchange of necessary information among courts, law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, state and federal agencies, and the Department of Corrections.

Chief Justice Saufley also spoke about the increasing problem of illegal drug abuse in Maine, and urged lawmakers to couple intervention with prevention.  

“Addictions are complex human problems, and they will require multi-faceted responses from government, treatment providers, and families,” said Chief Justice Saufley. “The best inoculation against addiction is a healthy childhood, a solid education, and the opportunity for meaningful employment.”