On Wednesday, August 21, 2024, The Ellsworth American reported that the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar had issued a one-year suspended suspension of Hancock County Probate Judge William B. Blaisdell IV’s law license.
The suspension meant that Blaisdell’s law license was suspended for 12 months. However, the suspension is being held in abeyance as long as he meets certain conditions, including having another attorney monitor his work.
A decision has yet to be made regarding whether Blaisdell can continue serving as probate judge.
In July, the Committee on Judicial Conduct asked the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to ask the Legislature to remove Blaisdell from his elected position, citing violations of law and failure to cooperate with their investigation. However, the Supreme Court has not ruled on this request.
The issues stem from two findings by the Board of Overseers of the Bar. Firstly, they found that Blaisdell mishandled a criminal case where he was appointed to represent “M.J.”, a man with no prior criminal record who was jailed for months. Blaisdell failed to provide discovery materials or respond to “M.J.”‘s repeated requests to withdraw from the case. “M.J.” spent around 10 months in jail without having bail addressed.
Secondly, the Board cited Blaisdell being held in contempt of court in Belfast District Court for failing to pay nearly $50,000 in back child support and fees related to his own family law matter. The court found he had the means to pay but refused, negatively impacting the other party and his children.
Blaisdell must also file any outstanding federal tax returns from 2022 through potentially 2019 within the next 90 days. The agreement aims to hold Blaisdell accountable while allowing him to continue practicing law under supervision. A final decision on his judgeship is still pending from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
Source: The Ellsworth American
