Wathen Named Commencement Speaker
Daniel Wathen, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial
Court of Maine, will give the keynote address at USM's 122nd
Commencement, scheduled for 9 a.m., Saturday, May 11, at the
Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland. Wathen also has
been selected as a recipient of a USM Distinguished Achievement
Award.
A native of Aroostook County, Maine, Wathen has channeled
his considerable skills as a legal thinker into service to
the state, rising to the pinnacle of the state legal system
to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of
Maine for nearly 10 years. Wathen received his legal training
at the University of Maine School of Law, where he graduated
at the top of his class, with high honors, in 1965. He also
holds an LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law
(1988).
Considered both brilliant and approachable, Wathen is able
to talk to people of all walks of life, a law school classmate
said. His career began with 12 years of general practice of
law in Augusta, followed by 24 years of public service as
a member of Maineās judiciary. His rise through the courts
was promoted by governors of all political stripes.
After practicing law in Augusta, he was first appointed to
the Maine Superior Court in 1977 by Governor James Longley,
an Independent. Democratic Governor Joseph Brennan appointed
him to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court in 1981, and he was
elevated to Chief Justice by Republican Governor John McKernan
in 1992 and reappointed in 1999 by Governor Angus S. King,
another Independent.
During all his years in Maine's judiciary system, he worked
toward legal reform and was known as an able administrator,
streamlining the court system to move cases more quickly through
the legal process. He also strengthened the court's response
to cases involving child protection, juvenile law, domestic
violence and family law. He updated Maine's court system in
terms of technology, but also put a human face on the court,
speaking out in public, visiting schools to talk to children
about his life, and riding motorcycles with the governor.
Under his leadership, the courts moved strongly in the direction
of greater reliance on alternative dispute resolution rather
than adjudication, considered one of the most important advances
during his tenure.
"His whole life has been service to Maine," Governor
King said of him after Wathen's surprise announcement in October
2001 that he would retire from the court and enter the gubernatorial
race to succeed King. He later withdrew from the campaign
and in January 2002 joined the law firm of Pierce Atwood,
where he specializes in mediation and appellate advocacy.
Chief Justice Wathen was made a Fellow of the American Bar
Foundation and the Maine Bar Foundation in recognition of
his integrity, high ethical standards and contributions to
the public good.
Members of the campus community and public who need more
information on USM's Commencement should call 780-5106.
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