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Mills nominates fired federal prosecutor to be Maine judge
By Christopher Burns, Bangor Daily News Staff
Gov. Janet Mills has nominated the former top federal prosecutor in Maine for a state judgeship.
If confirmed, Caribou native Darcie McElwee would serve as a justice for Maine’s Superior Court. Mills announced her nomination Feb. 28.
McElwee previously served as a prosecutor in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties and spent nearly two decades serving as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Maine. President Joe Biden nominated McElwee to lead that office in 2021.
Her tenure in the U.S. attorney’s office, where she prosecuted many cases involving violent crimes, according to the governor’s office, came to an end in mid-February when President Donald Trump fired McElwee. It is typical for U.S. attorneys to step down or be removed from their positions during presidential transitions.
McElwee, who lives in Scarborough, graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick and the University of Maine School of Law.