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Magistrate Judges

Magistrate Judges

 

 

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Born in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, Magistrate Judge D. Brock Hornby is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Harvard Law School.  He was a law clerk to Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge John Minor Wisdom.  Judge Hornby was a professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law from 1970 – 1974.  He practiced law in Portland at Perkins, Thompson, Hinckley and Keddy from 1974 to 1982.  Judge Hornby was the first full-time U.S. Magistrate in the District serving in Bangor and Portland from 1982 - 1988.  He served as an Associate Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from 1988 - 1990.  In 1990, Judge Hornby was appointed U.S. District Judge and was the Court’s Chief Judge from 1996 – 2003.

 

December 23, 1982 – June 10, 1988

Bangor and Portland, Maine

 

 

 

 

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A native of Bangor, Maine, Magistrate Judge Edward H. Keith graduated from the University of Maine and Cornell Law School.  He practiced law in Bangor with his father, Ballard Keith, who also served as U.S. Commissioner in the District of Maine.  Before his appointment to U.S. Magistrate, Judge Keith served as a U.S. Commissioner in this District from September 9, 1963, until his appointment as a part-time U.S. Magistrate.  On February 24, 1971, Chief U.S. District Judge Edward Thaxter Gignoux appointed Edward Keith part-time Magistrate and in March of 1989, Judge Keith’s service as U.S. Magistrate Judge became full-time.

 

September 9, 1963 – June 3, 1991

Bangor, Maine

 

 

 

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January 21, 1992- January 20, 2000

Bangor, Maine

 

A lifelong resident of the Old Town area and graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy and St. Joseph’s University in New Brunswick, Magistrate Judge Eugene W. Beaulieu obtained his law degree from Suffolk University in Boston.  He practiced law in the Old Town area for two decades and served as assistant county prosecutor for Penobscot and Piscataquis counties for eleven years.  He was appointed Judge to the 3rd District Court in Bangor in 1980, and then elevated to Justice at the Penobscot County Superior Court in 1985, where he served until his appointment to United States Magistrate Judge on January 21, 1992.

 

 

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Magistrate Judge Margaret J. Kravchuk is the District of Maine’s first female U.S. Magistrate Judge.  She is a Pennsylvania native, graduate of Bethany College and the University of Maine School of Law.  She served as Penobscot County District Attorney for one year before being appointed to the Maine District Court bench, and then elevated to Superior Court Justice where she served as Chief Justice.  Judge Kravchuk was appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge on January 21, 2000, and retired on January 24, 2014.

 

January 21, 2000 – January 24, 2014

Bangor, Maine

 

 

 

 

 

Magistrate Judge John C. Nivison is a Maine native, having grown up in Winslow, Maine.  He is a graduate of Colby College and the University of Maine School of Law.  Judge Nivison practiced law at Pierce Atwood from 1985 to 1999.   In 1999, he was appointed judge of the Maine District Court by Governor Angus King. He was Chief Judge of the Maine District Court from 2005 to 2007.  In 2007, Governor John Baldacci appointed Judge Nivison to the Maine Superior Court where he served until his appointment to U.S. Magistrate Judge in 2014.

January 27, 2014- present

Bangor, Maine

 

 

 

 

 

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Magistrate Judge Morris Cox of Portland, Maine, graduated from Portland High School and attended Hebron Academy.  He graduated from Suffolk Law School in Boston, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.  Morris Cox served the Court in several capacities.  He served as the Clerk of the District Court from 1948 – 1974. During his term as Clerk, Mr. Cox served as a U.S. Commissioner in the District until his appointment as a part-time U.S. Magistrate in Portland from March 1, 1971 – June 28, 1974.

November 1, 1948 – June 28, 1974

Portland, Maine

 

 

 

 

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Born in Monson, Maine, Magistrate Judge Millard E. Emanuelson graduated from Monson Academy, Colby College and Boston University Law School.  Prior to his legal career, Millard Emanuelson taught at Coburn Classical Institute, Thornton Academy and Deering High School. He was a Navy veteran of World War II.   He was an associate professor of business law at what is now known as the University of Southern Maine.  He served as chairman of the Cumberland County Legal Aid Committee and as President of Pine Tree Legal Assistance. Millard Emanuelson served as U.S. Magistrate from 1972 – 1974.  Following his service as U.S. Magistrate, he served as a Maine District Court Judge from 1974 until his retirement in 1984.  He died on May 8, 1989.

August 15, 1972 – November 3, 1974

Portland, Maine

 

 

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Magistrate Judge Seymour Nathanson was born in Brooklyn, New York.  He graduated from the University of Maine School of Law. Mr. Nathanson served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and served as part-time U.S. Magistrate from 1974 – 1977.  Seymour Nathanson died on August 12, 1997.

August 25, 1974 – September 30, 1977

Portland, Maine

 

 

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Magistrate Judge William K. Tyler was born in Fort Madison, Iowa. He attended the University of Denver where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree and his LL.B.  From 1963 – 1964, Mr. Tyler was an assistant county attorney.  He held the position of part-time U.S. Magistrate from 1974 – 1976 and practiced law in Portland with the firm of Richardson, Hildreth, Tyler & Troubh.  He was the President of the Cumberland County Bar Association in 1978 and a member of the Panel of Mediators, the Maine Labor Relations Board and the Grievance Commission of the Board of Bar Overseers.

November 4, 1974 – September 15, 1976

Portland, Maine

 

 

 

 

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Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, Magistrate Judge Melvyn Zarr is a graduate of Clark University, Princeton University and Harvard Law School.  He worked in New York City for the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund and then returned to Massachusetts to work at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute where he supervised poverty law litigation.  While also serving as a part-time U.S. Magistrate, Mr. Zarr taught at the University of Maine School of Law.  He continues to maintain a full teaching load at the Law School while also serving as an elected member of the American Law Institute and the Maine Criminal Advisory Commission.

 

October 1, 1977 – December 22, 1982

Portland, Maine

 

 

 

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Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Magistrate Judge William S. Brownell graduated from the University of Maine and, in 1971, he graduated from the University of Maine School of Law.  His 33-year career with the U.S. District Court began in 1974 as courtroom deputy clerk for U.S. District Judge Edward T. Gignoux.  He was promoted to the position of Chief Deputy Clerk in September, 1976.  In 1979, Mr. Brownell was appointed part-time U.S. Magistrate, and he served simultaneously as Clerk of Court from February 4, 1980 until April 30, 2007, when he retired.

January 8, 1979 – April 30, 2007

Portland, Maine

 

 

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Magistrate Judge David M. Cohen was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, grew up in Lewiston, Maine, and lived in the Portland, Maine area, throughout his years of practice and active service on the bench. While in college, he interned for U.S. Senator Edmund S. Muskie.  He is a graduate of Bowdoin College and Boston College Law School. He served as law clerk to U.S. Circuit Judge Frank Coffin (1967 - 1968) and practiced law in Portland at Berman, Berman, Wernick & Flaherty (which later became Preti Flaherty) and then at the law firm of Petruccelli, Cohen, Erler & Cox  prior to his appointment to U.S. Magistrate Judge.

October 11, 1988 – April 1, 2008

Portland, Maine

 

 

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Magistrate Judge John H. Rich III graduated from Bowdoin College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.  He served as law clerk to U.S. District Judge Edward Thaxter Gignoux and later practiced law for 25 years at the Portland law firm of Perkins, Thompson, Hinckley and Keddy prior to his appointment to U.S. Magistrate Judge.  In addition to his service to the federal judiciary, Judge Rich is Vice Chair of the Maine Justice Action Group.

 

April 2, 2008 – April 1, 2022

Portland, Maine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magistrate Judge Karen Frink Wolf graduated from the University of New Hampshire and Syracuse University College of Law. Before her appointment to U.S. Magistrate Judge, she was a partner at the Verrill law firm in Portland, Maine. In addition to her practice as a litigator for thirty-six years, Judge Wolf is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

April 1, 2022- present

Portland, Maine