Maine Superior Court justice, Trumps pick for federal bench, might not toe the party line

[jpak]

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/04/15/maine-superior-court-justice-trumps-pick-for-federal-bench-might-not-tow-the-party-line/

Superior Court Justice Lance Walker, a nominee to a lifetime federal court judgeship – the first in Maine under President Trump – might seem out of sync with the Republican politicians who have been instrumental in his career.

Walker, 46, has been on the fast track as a judge. He was first appointed by Gov. Paul LePage to Maine District Court in 2014 and elevated to the Superior Court bench the following year. His chambers are in the Cumberland County Courthouse. Prior to his state judicial appointments, he was a partner in the Portland law firm Norman, Hanson and DeTroy.

Last week, Trump nominated Walker to federal court in the District of Maine. Walker must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before he can don robes as a federal judge.

But there are a couple of Walker rulings that might give his political backers pause. Among his higher-profile rulings was his decision to drop charges against Black Lives Matter protesters last year. LePage had criticized the group after the Portland protests in the summer of 2016, and about two dozen Black Lives Matter members repeatedly interrupted a town hall meeting with the governor at the University of Southern Maine in April 2017.

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