Judge Carol R. Emery announced Jan. 12 that she is seeking reelection to the position of Knox County Judge of Probate.

Probate Judges are elected from each of Maine’s 16 counties and serve four-year terms. Emery has served as Knox County’s Judge of Probate since 1990, and if reelected, she will become Maine’s senior Probate Judge, and will have served in that capacity longer than any of the other 15 judges.

"Courtroom experience, continuing legal and judicial education, justice and compassion are essential qualities she brings to this position," said a news release about her announcement. "She manages the judicial docket and has extensive courtroom experience presiding over probate matters at the Knox County Probate Court.

"Judge Emery stated she has been privileged to serve the citizens of Knox County as Probate Judge, and would like to continue her work helping County residents with their problems regarding probate of wills, minor and adult guardianships, conservatorships, adoptions, name changes, and a variety of other probate matters"

Emery said, in the release:  “The issues before this Court directly impact the well- being and lives of Knox County residents. My staff and I work to keep the Court’s docket moving so that citizens’ issues are promptly heard.”

Emery is a past Secretary and President of the Maine Probate Judges Assembly (MPJA) whose membership includes the Probate Judges from each of Maine’s 16 counties. 

She has served as the Maine Probate Judges’ representative on the Committee on Judicial Ethics, appointed by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. 

That Committee is charged with reviewing and taking appropriate action regarding complaints of incompetency or misconduct within Maine’s judicial system. 

She has also served on the Maine Probate Rules and Forms Committee, also appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court, which oversees the Probate Court’s e-filing system and for drafting new forms and rules to fully implement Maine’s substantially revised probate laws.

She currently serves as a member of the Civil Legal Services Fund Committee, which reviews the allocation of funding to organizations that provide legal assistance to the poor and elderly.

She and her husband, former Congressman David Emery, are residents of Tenants Harbor. They have one adult son, Dr. Albert Emery, now practicing medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan.