Maine Revised Statutes

Maine Revised Statutes
Name	Maine Revised Statutes
Jurisdiction	Maine
Enacted by	Maine Legislature
Date enacted	1964
Status	Current

Maine Revised Statutes are the codified statutory laws of Maine organized by subject into a consolidated statutory code. The Statutes collect enactments from the Maine Legislature and integrate amendments derived from regular and special sessions of the Maine Senate and the Maine House of Representatives. The code functions alongside published session compilations such as the Laws of Maine and informs adjudication in courts including the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and trial courts in Cumberland County, Maine.

History and codification

Codification efforts in Maine trace to early statehood contemporaneous with legal developments in Massachusetts and the influence of codifiers like David Dudley Field II and models such as the New York Consolidated Laws. Early compilations referenced precedents from the District of Maine period and post-1820 adjustments following admission to the Union (United States). The modern statutory revision culminating in the first comprehensive edition reflected practices used by the United States Code and the Revised Statutes of the United States (1874), adopting editorial principles similar to those employed in the California Codes and the Texas Statutes. Administrative reviews by entities akin to the American Law Institute and comparative work with codes from New Hampshire and Vermont informed language uniformity, while judicial interpretation by the First Circuit and treatises by authors in Harvard Law School and Yale Law School influenced drafting conventions.

Structure and organization

The Statutes are divided into numbered titles patterned after systems in the United States Code and state codes such as the New York Consolidated Laws and the Ohio Revised Code. Each title contains chapters and sections, cross-referenced using numbering comparable to the Uniform Commercial Code articles and the organizational schemes in the California Civil Code and the Michigan Compiled Laws. Topics cover matters regulated by agencies like the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the Maine Department of Transportation, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, as well as statutes impacting institutions including the University of Maine system and localities like Bangor, Maine and Portland, Maine. Citations appear in judicial opinions from courts such as the Maine Superior Court and administrative rulings by bodies like the Maine Human Rights Commission.

Legislative enactment and amendment process

Bills originate in committees of the Maine Legislature including standing committees comparable to those in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and proceed through readings, committee reports, and floor votes comparable to procedures in the New Jersey Legislature and the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Enactments receive governor review by the Governor of Maine with options for vetoes and pocket vetoes akin to processes under the United States Constitution and state constitutions like Massachusetts Constitution. Amendments appear via public acts, referendum actions exemplified by initiatives in California and recall procedures seen in Oregon, while codification orders are supervised by clerks such as the Secretary of State of Maine and legislative counsels paralleling offices in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Publication and accessibility

The Statutes are published in print editions and made available through official compilations like the Laws of Maine and electronic databases similar to resources provided by the Library of Congress and state law libraries such as the Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library. Online access parallels platforms like Westlaw, LexisNexis, and public-access repositories maintained by entities such as the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute and statewide portals used by the Massachusetts General Court. Supplementary materials include annotations, historical notes, and cross-references produced by publishers resembling Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis editorial services, with library collections housed in institutions including the University of Maine School of Law and the Maine State Library.

Legal status and interpretation

Statutory provisions serve as primary sources for adjudication in cases before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and inform administrative rulemaking by agencies like the Maine Public Utilities Commission and the Maine Department of Labor. Courts interpret text using canons applied in decisions from the United States Supreme Court and state high courts such as the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, citing precedents like landmark opinions from the First Circuit and doctrinal influences from jurists associated with the Harvard Law Review and the Yale Law Journal. Statutes interact with common law principles recorded in treatises by scholars from institutions such as Columbia Law School and New York University School of Law, and are subject to constitutional review under provisions of the Constitution of Maine and the United States Constitution.

Comparison with Maine Laws and session laws

The distinction between the Statutes and session compilations like the Laws of Maine mirrors separations observed in the United States Code versus the Statutes at Large (United States), and the relationship is comparable to that between the Annotated Code of Maryland and the Acts of Maryland General Assembly. Session laws reflect enactments from specific sessions of the Maine Legislature and are essential for historical research in repositories such as the Library of Congress and academic centers at the University of Maine, whereas the Statutes present integrated, subject-organized text for citation in judicial opinions from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and practice by attorneys admitted to the Maine Bar.

Category:Maine law