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M.R. App. P. 12B

PUBLIC ACCESS TO PROCEEDINGS AND RECORDS

activein force · 2024-11-01 – presentact-effective-date

(a) Record on Appeal. The record on appeal in each case, or any

portion of the record on appeal, shall be available for inspection and copying by

any person to the same extent as that record was available for inspection and

copying in the trial court.

(b) Law Court File. The file maintained by the Clerk of the Law Court

for each appeal, other than files for appeals from child protection proceedings

and other files made confidential by statute, shall be available for public

inspection and copying, except that any documents or images that were

transmitted to the Law Court by the trial court under seal and any documents

providing identifying information regarding parties, witnesses, or jurors shall

be available for inspection and copying only to the same extent as in the trial

court.

(c) Briefs. The briefs filed with the Law Court, other than briefs in

appeals from matters listed in subsection (d)(1)-(5) below, shall be available

for inspection and copying by any person.

(d) Appendices. The appendix shall be available for public inspection

and copying, except that the appendix shall not be available for public

inspection and copying in the following matters: (1) an appeal from a child

protection proceeding; (2) proceedings involving an adoption or guardianship

or a petition for adoption or guardianship; (3) juvenile proceedings in which

the record is sealed in the trial court; (4) any proceeding in which the care,

custody, and support of a minor child is an issue; and (5) any proceeding in

which a document or information that is confidential, deemed nonpublic, or

was filed under seal in the trial court by statute, court rule, administrative

order, or trial court order, is contained in the appendix.

Any brief or appendix filed in a matter listed in this subsection (1)-(5) shall

automatically be labeled and filed as “under seal” or “confidential” unless the

Chief Justice or other Justice designated to act for the Chief Justice pursuant to

Rule 10(a)(4) orders otherwise.

(e) Oral Arguments. Oral arguments on the merits of appeals are

public proceedings.

(f) Decisions. Opinions of the Law Court on appeals and decisions of

single Justices of the Law Court are public documents.

Provenance

Source
courts.maine.gov
Retrieved
2026-09-24
Edition
2026-09-24
Content hash
e9fea27f1a6650f72e330387e735d84b7bf2dac0c51e62f6b44249e0511c5b60
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