Incumbent Waldo County Judge of Probate Susan W. Longley has announced her campaign for reelection.

"I run for re-election for Waldo County Judge of Probate because I deeply value the many opportunities to uphold the law while also helping families resolve issues and move forward with healthy and productive lives," she said, in a news release.

"We are incredibly lucky to have a legal professional in our neighborhood who is mindful, committed to civility and, above all, willing to do her best to honor and serve our families as a family court judge," said community leader Lloyd Wentworth, in the release.

Longley is a 1974 graduate of Lewiston High School and a 1978 graduate of Mt. Holyoke College. She earned a J.D. degree in 1988 from the Columbus School of Law and a master’s degree in History in 1992 from the University of Maine. At UMaine, she wrote her masters thesis on her then deceased father, Gov. James B. Longley, Maine's first independent governor.

It was in working in the U.S. Senate office of Sen. George Mitchell that she realized the benefits of a law degree. She subsequently worked at the U.S. Supreme Court, and reported on Court hearings for National Public Radio.

Longley brings a unique blend of skills to her job as family court judge: Between college and law school, she became (and remains) a Maine-certified high school history teacher. As judge in a courtroom where the large majority of parties appear without lawyers (or "pro se"), she relies heavily on her teaching skills to help parties understand legal procedures

Always knowing that she would return home to Maine, Longley was awarded and accepted a prestigious law clerk position in Maine's Superior Court system. Here, she gained specific judge experience reviewing hundreds of cases and drafting hundreds of orders of Maine's Superior Court judges.

From 1995 to 2002, Longley served as Waldo County's State Senator. As Senator, Longley was pivotal in implementing many pro-family initiatives including such innovations as the state's family court division, (including its mediation program). With this family division, she worked with the Chief Justice of Maine's Law Court to help Maine families find their way through a potentially intimidating court process. Another of her initiatives resulted in a Wall Street Journal article in which Longley was described as "ingenious" for her business incentives for quality childcare.

As Waldo County's current judge of probate, Longley benefits from her years as Senate Chair of both the Legislature's Judiciary Committee and the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee. In these positions, Longley monitored and authored Maine's laws for Maine's families.

Earlier this year, Judge Longley was reappointed by Maine's Chief Justice to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court's Probate and Trust Advisory. Here, she will continue her work with Maine's best and brightest probate law professionals tasked to recommend updates to Maine's probate code.