BANGOR (AP) – People charged with felonies will no longer make appearances in District Courts under a change in the judicial system that took effect with the new year.

For nearly 30 years, the paper trail for all crimes – misdemeanors and felonies – began in the state’s District Courts. Felony cases were then moved to Superior Court.

Under the new system, felonies will now be handled exclusively in Superior Courts.

“It’s a whole new way of doing things that will make life a whole lot easier on clerks,” said Maine Superior Court Justice Andrew Mead. “It avoids double docketing. No one will actually open a file on a felony in District Court. The Superior Court clerks will do it.”

Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy was more skeptical.

“It may clog the Superior Court docket even more,” he said. “It may help in District Court, but to what degree it helps is up in the air. The good could be outweighed by the harm in Superior Court.”

The change was contained in a 2003 report to the judiciary on the allocation of judicial resources.

The report contains other recommendations that will be implemented later this year in courts across the state. They include how cases are scheduled and guidelines for measuring how long it takes for cases to be completed.

District Courts handle adult misdemeanor cases, juvenile crimes, divorces, child custody cases, small claims, protection from abuse and harassment orders, and contested traffic tickets. In 2004, more than 129,000 cases, including nearly 62,000 criminal cases, were filed in the state’s District Courts.

The Superior Courts, which convene in the 16 county courthouses, handle all felonies, civil suits and jury trials, regardless of whether the crime is a felony or misdemeanor.

About 12,000 of the nearly 16,000 cases filed in Superior Courts in 2004 involved criminal matters.

Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

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