NEFAC Opposes Maine Probate Court Proposal That Would Limit Public’s Understanding, Oversight of Judicial System

The New England First Amendment Coalition today submitted comments to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court opposing proposed amendments to the state’s probate court rules.

The amendments would, among other things, classify all inventories, accountings, death certificates, birth certificates and causes of death as confidential and make them available only to parties in a probate proceeding. By doing so, the public’s ability to learn about its government would be unnecessarily limited, explained Justin Silverman, NEFAC’s executive director, in a Jan. 25 letter to the Maine SJC.

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