Maine supreme court chief says home foreclosure program being developed

Maine will establish a task force within the next two weeks to help residents avoid foreclosure, the leader of the state Supreme Court announced Tuesday.

Chief Justice Leigh Saufley sketched out the foreclosure diversion program in the annual State of the Judiciary address to the Maine Legislature.

Justice John Levy, the associate law court judge spearheading the effort, told reporters the aim of the program was to make people facing foreclosure aware of their rights and of possible resources for assistance early on.

The program could also offer mediation or other methods to resolve disputes as a way to curb lawsuits and reduce costs, Levy said.

"It's really taken hold across the country," he said, citing Philadelphia as an example of a city successfully reaching out to residents and fighting back against lenders.

Saufley said she was honored that Gov. John Baldacci nominated her to a second term and grateful that lawmakers confirmed her to the post.

"But I confess that I feel the responsibility of our work more acutely as we watch the good people of this state struggle with the most serious economic downturn we have experienced in decades," Saufley said.

"And I know, from spending just a little time in the halls of this building, that you, too, are feeling the extraordinary responsibility of government to the people who are hurting. Our friends and neighbors are losing their jobs, their homes, their businesses."

Saufley said the courts have eliminated about 10 positions and maintained more than 40 vacancies, including the equivalent of two judges, in the past year. Court hours have been reduced in several district and superior courts.

"We hope that the shortage of people to provide justice is short-lived. But it is taking its toll already. Justice cannot be outsourced. People make the system work. Our staff is working harder every day under increasingly stressful conditions. And we must look toward the day when we can restaff the courts," Saufley said.

Officials from across state government rejected the closure of rural courthouses as a savings measure. Saufley said it would be unconstitutional to reduce payments for the legal representation of poor people charged with crimes.