Thompson Block

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. Between 1820 and 1839, justices served lifetime appointments with a mandatory retirement age of 70. Starting in 1839, justices have been appointed for seven-year terms, with no limit on the number of terms that they may serve nor a mandatory retirement age.Known as the Law Court when sitting as an appellate court, the Supreme Court's other functions include hearing appeals of sentences longer than one year of incarceration, overseeing admission to the bar and the conduct of its members, and promulgating rules for all the state's courts.The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is one of the few state supreme courts in the United States authorized to issue advisory opinions, which it does upon request by the governor or legislature, as set out in the Maine Constitution.It is also unusual for a state's highest appellate court in that its primary location is not that of the state's capital city, Augusta, partially because the Kennebec County Courthouse did not have a courtroom large enough for the Supreme Court's proceedings. The court did meet there from 1830 until 1970, when it permanently moved to the Cumberland County Courthouse. The renovation of the Kennebec County Courthouse in 2015, which included expansion of the bench in its largest courtroom to permit all seven justices to sit there at the same time, has allowed the court to meet there at least twice a year. It will also continue to meet in Portland, Bangor, and at high schools around the state. The new Judicial Center in Biddeford, scheduled to be completed in early 2023, will also contain a courtroom large enough to permit the court to sit there. The MSJC is also authorized to rule on the fitness of the Governor of Maine to serve in office, which it does upon the Maine Secretary of State certifying to the court that the governor is temporarily unable to carry out the duties of that office. The court must then hold a hearing and, if it agrees that the governor is unfit, declare the office of governor temporarily vacant and transfer its duties to the President of the Maine Senate, who would serve as acting governor. If the Secretary of State later certifies to the Supreme Court that the governor is fit to resume office, the court would then decide whether it agrees.

The Rackleff Building is an historic commercial building at 127-133 Middle Street in the Old Port commercial district of Portland, Maine. Built in 1867 to a design by architect George M. Harding, it is, along with the adjacent Woodman Building and Thompson Block (both also Harding buildings), part of the finest concentration of mid-19th-century commercial architecture in the city. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Cumberland County Courthouse is a courthouse building located in Portland, Maine, United States. Its main façade is on Federal Street, on the eastern side of Lincoln Park, and across Pearl Street from the Edward T. Gignoux United States Courthouse; its entrance is now at the rear of the property, at 205 Newbury Street. Designed by local architect George Burnham, in partnership with Boston architect Guy Lowell, it was completed in 1910 and constructed in granite. The courts were formerly located in Portland City Hall, prior to its burning down in 1908.An addition to the rear of the building, completed in 1991, was dedicated in honor of Vincent L. McKusick, chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court between 1977 and 1992.

The Woodman Building is a historic commercial block located at 133-141 Middle Street in Portland, Maine. It was designed by architect George M. Harding and built in 1867. It is one of the most elaborate and high-style commercial buildings built in the wake of the city's devastating 1866 fire, and is one of Maine's largest Second Empire buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23, 1972.

Federal Street is a historic downtown street in Portland, Maine, United States. It runs for around 0.56 miles (0.90 km), from Monument Square, in the southwest to Mountfort Street, at the foot of Munjoy Hill, in the northeast. Its middle section was wiped out by the widening of Franklin Street in 1967. It forms the southern boundaries of both Lincoln Park (established in 1866) and Eastern Cemetery (1668). Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Upon its completion in 2023, The Casco, at 201 Federal Street, became the tallest residential building in Maine, at 204.5 feet (62.3 m), surpassing Franklin Towers. It is the third-tallest building in the state overall, behind the Agora Grand Event Center in Lewiston.

The Maine Policy Institute (MPI), formerly the Maine Heritage Policy Center, is a conservative free-market think tank located in Portland, Maine. According to its mission statement, MPI is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that conducts detailed and timely research to educate the public, the media, and lawmakers about public policy solutions that advance economic freedom and individual liberty in Maine." The organization has an associated media outlet, The Maine Wire.

The State of Maine Armory (also known as Portland Armory and now as Portland Regency Hotel & Spa) is an historic building in Portland, Maine's Old Port District. The State of Maine Armory was designed by prominent local architect Frederick A. Tompson and built in 1895, on land donated to the city ninety years earlier by Joseph Holt Ingraham, for use by the Maine National Guard. Upon its opening, the then-mayor of Portland, James Phinney Baxter, said: "The possession of quarters in a prominent place, where the men would always be under the public eye, would be the means of improving the morale of the force." In 1941, the National Guard abandoned the building, but it was used to house troops during World War II as well as a recreation center. After the war, the structure was used as a warehouse until it was converted into the current hotel in 1987.The main-floor restaurant is named eighteen95, as a nod to the year the building was completed. Its basement-level lounge, meanwhile, is named The Armory. A whiskey bar, Ironside, was added on the lobby level during renovations in 2020 (Portland Armory supplied the USS Constitution, nicknamed Old Ironsides, with ammunition).The 2020 renovation followed one in 2012 that cost around $2.8 million.The hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America.

Lincoln Park is a 1.8-acre (0.73 ha) urban park in downtown Portland, Maine. Created in 1866, following that year’s Great Fire, which burned down most of the buildings of Portland, it was named in honor of former president Abraham Lincoln. It is bounded by Congress Street to the west, Pearl Street to the south, Federal Street to the east and Franklin Street to the north. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Maine (in case citations, D. Me.) is the U.S. district court for the state of Maine. The District of Maine was one of the original thirteen district courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, even though Maine was not a separate state from Massachusetts until 1820. The court is headquartered at the Edward T. Gignoux United States Courthouse in Portland, Maine and has a second courthouse in Bangor, Maine. The U.S. attorney for the District of Maine represents the United States in criminal and civil litigation before the court. As of October 8, 2021 the U.S. attorney is Darcie N. McElwee.Appeals from the District of Maine are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

Portland ( PORT-lənd) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the most populous city in the state and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area has a population of approximately 550,000 people. Historically tied to commercial shipping, the marine economy, and light industry, Portland's economy in the 21st century relies mostly on the service sector. The Port of Portland is the second-largest tonnage seaport in the New England area as of 2019.The city seal depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, a reference to recovery from four devastating fires. Portland was named after the English Isle of Portland. In turn, the city of Portland, Oregon, was named after Portland, Maine. The word Portland is derived from the Old English word Portlanda, which means "land surrounding a harbor". The Greater Portland area has emerged as an important center for the creative economy, which is also bringing gentrification.

Exchange Street is a main commercial thoroughfare in the Old Port of Portland, Maine, United States. It features a number of designer clothing stores, as well as several small, locally owned businesses.Before the 1970s, Exchange Street and the Old Port area had become largely run-down and deserted. Gentrification began in the early 1970s and continues to this day. Historically, Exchange Street was where many printers and newspapers were located. At the top of Exchange Street, strategically located across Congress Street from Portland City Hall, is the Press Herald Building built in 1923 and expanded in 1948 as the headquarters of the Portland Press Herald. In 2015, the renovated building became the Press Hotel.

St. Peter's Catholic Church is a church located on Federal Street in downtown Portland, Maine, United States. Owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, the church was built in 1929, and—being in the city's Italian neighborhood centered on India Street—today hosts Italian cultural events, including the annual Italian Bazaar on the feast day of Saint Rocco. It held its 97th bazaar in 2023. An engraving above the middle of its three doors reads "Tu Es Petrus" (You are Peter). As of 2024, its priest is the Very Revd. Seamus Griesbach.