Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the Senate unanimously approved the nomination of Maine Superior Court Justice Lance Walker, a native of Piscataquis County, to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine.

“During his nearly two decades of experience as both an attorney in private practice and as a judge in Maine’s judicial system, Justice Walker has demonstrated that he has the intelligence, temperament, and integrity required for this important position,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement.  “Justice Walker has made numerous contributions to Maine’s legal community and will serve our state well as a federal judge.  We are pleased that the Senate unanimously approved his nomination.”

Justice Walker has served on the Maine Superior Court in Portland since 2015, when he was unanimously confirmed by the Maine Senate.  He has presided over some of the state’s most complex criminal and civil cases, appeals, post-conviction reviews, and jury trials.   

Prior to his service on the Maine Superior Court, Justice Walker was appointed and unanimously confirmed to the Maine District Court bench, where he presided over a wide variety of dockets, primarily in Androscoggin and Oxford Counties. He also worked for more than a dozen years in the Portland law firm Norman, Hanson & DeTroy as an experienced trial and appellate attorney as well as a legal consultant specializing in complex litigation and insurance law.  He became a partner after six years.

Justice Walker has tried cases before juries and judges across the state and in federal court.  He has argued several appeals before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.  He has been selected for recognition in respected peer-reviewed legal publications such as Benchmark Litigation, Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers in America.  As a judge, he has spoken with recovering addicts and caregivers on the issue of opioid addiction and its intersection with the criminal justice system.   

Justice Walker was born in Milo and raised in Dover-Foxcroft, where his parents owned and operated a hardware store and travel agency.  His father was also an engineer on the Canadian Pacific Railway in Brownville Junction.  After graduating from Foxcroft Academy in 1990, Justice Walker attended the University of Maine, earning a B.A. in philosophy, and the University of Maine School of Law, graduating with honors.

Justice Walker lives in Falmouth with his wife, Heidi, and their two daughters, Ava and Dylan.  He will be assigned to the U.S. District Court in Bangor.