Members of Maine’s congressional delegation passed along the names of two lawyers — including one from Lewiston — and a state judge to President Barack Obama on Wednesday to fill an expected judicial vacancy on the federal U.S. District Court in Portland.

The finalists are Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Jon D. Levy and lawyers William D. Robitzek of Berman & Simmons in Lewiston and Jeffrey N. Young of McTeague Higbee in Topsham.

In February, the congressional delegation appointed a panel composed of a dozen Maine lawyers, legal scholars and a retired judge to screen 14 applicants.

That group forwarded three names to U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Michael Michaud, and to U.S. Sen. Angus King.

They, in turn, sent the list to Obama.

Robitzek, an owner and partner at Berman & Simmons, is a graduate of Williams College. He earned his law degree from Boston University School of Law.

He’s practiced law for more than 30 years in state and federal court as a civil and criminal trial lawyer, logging more than 200 trials. He’s also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Maine School of Law in Portland.

Among his notable cases were several civil trials that resulted in multimillion-dollar judgments for his clients.

Also nominated was Levy, an associate justice on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He has served as a judge in Maine since 1995, when he was appointed to the Maine District Court. He rose to chief judge on that court in 2001. A year later, he was appointed to serve on the state’s highest court.

Young is a partner at a Topsham law office and works as an employment attorney, focusing on representing workers and unions in labor disputes.

The successful nominee will take the place of George Z. Singal, who is expected to move to so-called “senior status” at the end of July. That means he likely will continue to maintain a caseload, but would be eligible to lighten his caseload or retire.

In a letter to Obama, the delegation wrote: “All three of these candidates have extraordinary legal backgrounds and are well qualified to follow in the respected tradition of Judge George Singal. Any of them would make your administration and the people of Maine proud.”

cwilliams@sunjournal.com

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