AUBURN – A Sabattus man’s murder trial scheduled for next month was postponed following a rare double whammy of appointments for both his judge and defense attorney to new judicial positions.

Jury selection was expected to start Sept. 10 in the trial of Scott Poirier, 35, accused of murdering his father on his birthday in fall 2006. Poirier’s trial, which was scheduled to begin Sept. 24, has been sidelined, according to the Androscoggin County Superior Court clerk’s office.

The reason: Poirier’s attorney, Michaela Murphy of Waterville, was recently tapped for a spot on the Maine Superior Court bench as a justice. At roughly the same time, the judge presiding over Poirier’s case, Justice Ellen Gorman, was appointed to fill a vacancy at the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. She is expected to be sworn in Oct. 1.

Poirier has been given 45 days to find a new lawyer, Murphy wrote in an e-mail earlier this week.

Maine Superior Court Chief Justice Thomas Humphrey, charged with assigning homicide cases to his roster of judges, said he hopes to name Gorman’s successor in the Poirier case sometime within the next two weeks.

It’s the first time he’s heard that a defendant was dealt the double whammy of both defense lawyer and presiding judge being pulled from the same case at the same time, he said.

“It’s one of those cases of the stars lining up in a perfect way,” he said. “We want to respond as quickly as we can for the defendant’s sake.”

Humphrey also plans to find a new judge to take over the murder case of Sergio Hairston, 19, of Lewiston, who was on track to stand trial in January. A motion to suppress evidence is pending in Androscoggin County Superior Court, a clerk said.

In deciding which judge will take Gorman’s place on the bench in these two cases, Humphrey said he needs to consider several factors, including judges’ caseloads.

As for Murphy, Humphrey said he hasn’t decided where the most appropriate courthouse would be. She will need some training to get up to speed behind the bench rather than defending or prosecuting high-profile defendants before it.

To add to the musical chairs effect, Justice S. Kirk Studstrup, who works out of the Kennebec County Superior Court, has submitted a letter of resignation, effective Oct. 1.

Gov. John Baldacci’s office said Tuesday it hopes to announce Studstrup’s successor this week.

The confirmation hearing will be Sept. 12, and the full Senate will vote on the successor on Sept. 20.

It is expected that, if confirmed, Studstrup’s successor would be sworn in Oct 1.