It was not clear Monday if William Blaisdell IV, a licensed attorney in Maine and the elected probate judge in Hancock County, will face any professional discipline after being found in contempt of court for not paying child support.
But there are some avenues through which Blaisdell could face discipline if state officials believe it is warranted.
He could be investigated by the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar, which regulates the conduct of licensed attorneys in Maine. He also could face an inquiry by the state Committee on Judicial Conduct, which investigates grievances against judges and magistrates.
Less likely options for anyone holding civil office would be impeachment by the Legislature or a process called “removal by address,” in which the governor addresses lawmakers on the matter and each chamber votes on whether to support the removal.
On March 8, Blaisdell, 54, was ordered by Judge Patricia Worth in Waldo County to pay his ex-wife more than $43,000 in back child support and an additional $6,000 to cover her legal bills.
Worth also sentenced Blaisdell to serve 90 days in jail over his refusal to follow the court’s order, but deferred the sentence until March 25 to give him time to come up with the money or demonstrate a good-faith effort to pay what he owes.
Blaisdell also previously testified that he had not filed federal or state income tax returns for several years, Worth wrote.
Walter McKee, an Augusta lawyer who has represented attorneys in disciplinary hearings before the Overseers of the Bar, said Monday that any removal of a probate judge from office would most likely happen through the judicial branch.
“While the board could very well commence an investigation, this is a matter usually dealt with by the Committee on Judicial Responsibility,” McKee said, referring to the contempt of court finding against Blaisdell.
If an attorney is disbarred and has their license to practice law revoked, they would not be able to serve as a judge. But McKee said it’s not as clear whether a less severe disciplinary action by the board — such as suspension — would also affect the attorney’s ability to preside in probate court.
“It depends on the sanction,” McKee said. “If you are suspended you are still admitted, which raises a question whether, short of disbarment, you can still act as a judge.”
In either case — whether the recommendation comes from the Committee on Judicial Responsibility or the Board of Overseers of the Bar — it is up to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court to make the final call on disciplinary actions.
Officials with the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar did not return a message Monday.
A Maine probate judge was last disciplined in 2018, when Robert Nadeau of Biddeford was publicly reprimanded by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
Nadeau, who by then was no longer a probate judge and was serving a two-year suspension of his law license, was disciplined for using his probate position to take “intemperate and vindictive” actions against former colleagues and for advancing his own private interests, according to the court.
