ME · rules
M.R. App. P. 12B
PUBLIC ACCESS TO PROCEEDINGS AND RECORDS
(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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