U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker will become the District of Maine’s ninth Chief Judge on March 18, 2024. Judge Walker succeeds U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy, who has served as the District’s Chief Judge since January 1, 2019, guiding the Court through the challenges of budgetary sequestration, potential government shutdowns, and the COVID-19 Pandemic. On May 5, 2024, Chief Judge Levy will assume inactive Senior Judge status.
     Judge Walker is a graduate of the University of Maine and the University of Maine School of Law. Before joining the bench, Judge Walker clerked for the Maine Superior Court and practiced law for thirteen years at a Portland firm, where his practice included trial and appellate work in complex civil litigation and insurance law. Governor Paul LePage nominated Walker to serve on the Maine District Court in 2014 and the Maine Superior Court in 2015. The Maine Senate unanimously confirmed Walker to both posts. In 2018, President Donald J. Trump nominated Walker to serve on the United States District Court. The United States Senate unanimously confirmed Judge Walker’s nomination to the federal bench.
     As a United States District Judge, Walker has been a contributing member on several committees. He serves on the Judicial Conference of the United States Committee on Financial Disclosure, the First Circuit Judicial Council, the First Circuit Committee on Alternative Sentencing and serves as the chair of its Front-End Diversion Subcommittee. Walker also chairs the Morton A. Brody Distinguished Judicial Service Award Committee and the District of Maine Criminal Law Committee. In 2019, the University of Maine School of Law awarded Judge Walker the L. Kinvin Wroth Award, an honor bestowed upon Maine Law School graduates for career distinction and leadership while helping advance the mission of Maine Law.
     The Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court serves as the Court’s chief judicial officer and as the leader of the Court’s administrative operations. In the District of Maine, the Chief Judge oversees a budget of more than $5.6 million and a staff of more than 100 employees, including the judicial support staff and the employees of the Clerk’s Office, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, and the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office.
     The Court wishes Judge Walker every success in the role of Chief Judge and extends its heartfelt appreciation to Chief Judge Levy for his years of service to the Court and resolute commitment to the cause of justice.

For more information, please contact Christa K. Berry, Clerk of Court, Edward T. Gignoux United States Courthouse, 156 Federal St., Portland, Me. 04101 - (207) 780-3356.

Press Release Re Chief Judge Lance E Walker