A criminal defense lawyer in Bangor could be chosen to be a judge.
It will be up to the Maine Legislature Committee on Judiciary to decide if Harris Mattson, who is 40 years old, will become a district judge. No one knows where he would work if he were hired.
There are three lawyers that Gov. Janet Mills has chosen to be district court judges. He is the only one from Penobscot County. In Maine, there are 42 district court judges.
A person chosen by the governor must go through a committee review and be approved by the Senate.
Mattson became a lawyer in 2011 and now works at Silverstein & Mattson, a criminal defense law company in Bangor.
Mattson said it was an honor to be considered for the job of district judge. He said that getting the right answer to a legal question is more fun for him than taking a side.
“I want to make a difference in the American legal system and the rule of law,” Mattson said. “I believe in due process and equality before the law.”
Mattson grew up in Freedom and went to law school at Syracuse University.
The meeting to confirm him is on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 10:15 a.m. A district judge is chosen and serves for seven years.