Maine’s current Governor Janet Mills has nominated Judge Rick E. Lawrence to fill a seat on the state’s Supreme Judicial Court, US News reports. The 66-year-old judge has presided over the state’s district courts as a Deputy Chief Judge since April 2020. However, Lawrence has been a District Court Judge well over two decades.

Contingent off the nomination’s acceptance, the judge will be the first Black justice on Maine’s highest court. The nomination’s approval falls on the shoulders of the state’s Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary and the Maine Senate.

Lawrence’s application was received in January by the governor’s office to replace retiree Justice Ellen Gorman. After being appointed to the Judicial Court in 2007, the governor’s office released a statement announcing her retirement in January 2021. After serving one term, she was re-appointed by Gov. Paul LePage in 2015.

In his entry for the seat, Lawrence emphasized interest to “ensure that the vitally important work of the District Court, especially the child protective, family matters, juvenile, and protection from abuse and harassment cases, continues to be given the attention it deserves from the highest court in the State of Maine.”

“Judge Lawrence’s extensive legal experience, measured temperament, strong intellect, and proven commitment to upholding the law and administering justice impartially make him an exceptional candidate for the Maine Supreme Judicial Court,” Mills said in a statement. “I am honored to nominate him and believe his service on our highest court will greatly benefit the people of Maine.”

Despite receiving a vote of confidence from Mills, Lawrence expressed his self-awareness for not being the ideal candidate based on experience. “I am mindful that I am not the typical candidate seeking consideration for the Supreme Judicial court simply because I have never served on the Superior Court,” he detailed on his Jan. 7 application.

The veteran judge became a Deputy Chief Judge of the District Court in April 2020. He would later be re-appointed for another seven-year term in 2021 on Feb. 26. Lawrence has overseen cases involving domestic violence disputes and residential foreclosure diversion programs. His resume includes obtaining his scholastic credentials from Yale University and Harvard Law School.