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  • Citizen's Guide to the Courts
    • Introduction
    • Part I: What the Courts Do
    • Types of Law
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    • Part II: Court Organization
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Part II: County Courts

Probate Courts, established in the Maine Constitution in 1820, are courts with jurisdiction over specialized subject matter, such as estates and trusts, adoptions and name changes, guardianship, and protective proceedings. These courts also sit without a jury. There are 16 Probate Courts and judges, one for each county. These judges, who are part-time, are elected. Probate Court decisions may be appealed to the Supreme Judicial Court on matters of law. The Probate Court is not under the state court system but under county jurisdiction.

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