Geoffrey Rushlau, Rushlau, a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, was appointed district attorney for the four midcoast counties in June 1993 by Republican Gov. John McKernan.
ROCKLAND — Gov. Paul LePage announced Wednesday that he is nominating longtime District Attorney Geoffrey Rushlau to the Maine District Court.
“As governor, I have the utmost respect and have been impressed with the high quality work of the judicial branch. In choosing judges, my focus is on the qualifications, demeanor, and integrity of the candidates, not politics. All of my nominees reflect these priorities,” LePage said in a statement. “I am confident that Mr. Rushlau will live up to the high standards we expect from Maine judges.”
The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination and then the full Senate will vote on the nomination. Judiciary Committee Clerk Susan Pinette said that the panel has yet to schedule a hearing on the nomination, but said it would be done by May.
Rushlau, a resident of Dresden, is one of Maine’s longest-tenured prosecutors. He is currently serving his sixth consecutive term as district attorney for Prosecutorial District 6, which includes Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox and Waldo counties. Before that, he was the assistant district attorney for Districts 6 and 3 (Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties).
“Waldo County and other coastal Maine communities have been very fortunate to have Geoffrey Rushlau as district attorney for more than two decades. I am certain that his experience and temperament will be a tremendous asset to Maine’s court system, and I look forward to his nomination coming to the Maine Senate,” Senate President Michael Thibodeau, R-Winteport, said in a statement Wednesday.
Rushlau was appointed district attorney for the four midcoast counties in June 1993 by Republican Gov. John McKernan after then-District Attorney William Anderson was appointed to a judgeship. Rushlau’s current four-year term is set to expire at the end of 2018.
Rushlau, a graduate of the University of Maine School of Law, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The governor will get to appoint a successor if Rushlau is confirmed. County committees from the same party as the DA will make recommendations to the governor, who then appoints the replacement from the recommended names. Rushlau is a Republican.
The deputy district attorney in the Midcoast prosecutorial district under Rushlau is Jonathan Liberman. He was named deputy district attorney last year after more than two years as an assistant district attorney in Sagadahoc. He also has worked as assistant district attorney in Lincoln and Knox counties.
Rushlau is a member of the Maine Prosecutors Association serving twice as president (1998-2000; 2006-2008). He is also a member of the National District Attorneys Association, Criminal Law Advisory Commission, Maine Criminal Justice Academy Board of Trustees and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Advisory Board.
CORRECTION: This story was updated at 11:35 a.m. on March 31, 2017 to clarify how Rushlau’s position will be filled.
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