A longtime justice for Maine’s highest court said Friday that he was passed over for reappointment by the governor.

Joseph Jabar, who was first appointed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in 2009, said he expressed interest in being named to another seven-year term but was told by legal counsel for Gov. Janet Mills that the administration wants to diversify the court.

“I was hoping to stay on,” Jabar said. “I thoroughly enjoy the work. I thought I had been working hard and doing a good job, but I’m off to a new challenge.”

He said his last day on the court was Wednesday and that he has returned to private practice law at the firm he started in Waterville in 1979, Jabar LaLiberty LLC.

Mills’ office did not answer questions Friday about why the governor is not nominating Jabar for another term.

“The Governor thanks former Justice Jabar for his service to the people of Maine and wishes him well,” Mills spokesperson Ben Goodman said in an email. “She looks forward to appointing a well-qualified nominee to serve on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.” 

Jabar, 77, was first appointed to serve on Maine’s highest court by then-Gov. John Baldacci in 2009. He previously served on the Superior Court from 2001 to 2008 and was a district attorney for four years in Kennebec and Somerset counties.

Jabar was reappointed to the state’s highest court by then-Gov. Paul LePage in 2016. He was later accused by LePage in 2018 of reneging on an agreement to retire after he reached 20 years of legislative and judicial service – an amount that would have provided him with certain retirement benefits – so LePage could nominate a more conservative judge.

Jabar said Friday he thought about whether his age may have been a factor in Mills’ decision, but he doesn’t think it’s an issue.

“I’m about the same age as the governor and two years younger than Angus King, who is running for reelection, and I’m younger than the presidential candidates,” Jabar said.

“The only response I got from the governor’s counsel was because they want to diversify the court,” he added. “I don’t know what that means if it’s a minority or a woman they want to appoint.”

Jabar said he was also surprised because he is a lifelong Democrat. “I wouldn’t have expected this from a Democratic administration,” he said.

Jabar earned a salary of $158,157 in 2023 and had a combined benefits package, including health insurance and retirement, of just over $180,000 for the year, according to online state financial records at Maine Open Checkbook.

Since taking office in 2019, Mills has already diversified Maine’s highest court. In 2022, she nominated Rick Lawrence, the first Black justice to serve on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Mills also nominated Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill to her post in 2021. Stanfill is the second woman to serve as chief justice.

The four other justices currently on the court – Andrew Mead, Andrew Horton, Catherine Connors and Wayne Douglas – were all either appointed or reappointed by Mills to their seats.

The governor’s office said Friday that there is no requirement in state law for a timeframe to fill the open seat. All judicial nominations must be considered by the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee and confirmed by the Senate.

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