u.s. district court

district of maine

Retirement of U.S. Magistrate Judge John H. Rich III

March 15, 2022

The Honorable John H. Rich III will retire on April 1, 2022, after fourteen years of service as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the District of Maine. Judge Rich is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Edward T. Gignoux and went on to practice law for twenty-five years at the Portland law firm of Perkins Thompson before being sworn in as Magistrate Judge in April 2008. During his time on the bench, Judge Rich has served as a member of the American Law Institute and Maine’s Edward Thaxter Gignoux Inn of Court, the Vice-Chair of the Maine Justice Action Group (JAG) and co-chair of JAG’s standing Pro Bono Committee, the Articles Editor of the Federal Courts Law Review, and the liaison to the Court’s standing Local Rules Advisory Committee. He has also served as a member of the working group tasked to assist in the 2020 revision of the Strategic Plan for the Federal Judiciary and was appointed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., to serve on the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on the Administration of the Magistrate Judges System.

            Judge Rich is well-known for his work ethic, kindness, and good humor, and for treating all litigants and legal issues with the utmost care and respect. The judges and staff of the District of Maine are grateful for Judge Rich’s service and wish him a long and happy retirement.