Maine Superior Court Judge Valerie Stanfill has been nominated to be the next chief justice of the state's highest court.
Gov. Janet Mills announced on Monday that she is nominating Stanfill for the position, previously held by Leigh Saufley, who stepped down last year to head the University of Maine School of Law.
Stanfill, of Wayne, has served as a judge in the state for nearly 15 years and has presided over Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin counties on the Maine Superior Court since last February. Stanfill has also worked in private practice, and was the acting director of Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic.
The legislature's Judiciary Committee and the state Senate must both confirm Stanfill to the position of chief justice.
