Rule 83.Definitions

Last amended November 1, 2023 · Last verified July 8, 2026

In one sentenceRule 83 defines five terms used throughout the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure — court, clerk, plaintiff's or defendant's attorney, reporter, and the docket — so later rules can use them consistently without redefining them each time.

Full Text of Rule 83

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Unless specified to the contrary, the following words whenever used in these rules shall have the following meanings:

(1) The word “court” shall include any judge or magistrate of the District Court, any justice of the Superior Court and any single justice of the Supreme Judicial Court.

(2) The word “clerk” shall mean the clerk of courts in and for the county or division in which the action is pending.

(3) The term “plaintiff’s attorney” or “defendant’s attorney” or any like term shall include the party appearing without counsel and the word “plaintiff” or “defendant” or any like term shall include the party appearing with counsel.

(4) The term “reporter” shall mean a court reporter or a transcriber of an electronically recorded record.

(5) The term “the docket” means the official list of court events and filings in a case. For purposes of electronic filing, the docket is called the “Registry of Actions.”

Advisory Committee’s Notes & Reporter’s Notes

Advisory Note – November 2023

Rule 83 is amended to add subdivision (5) defining “the docket.”

Advisory Committee’s Notes — May 1, 2000

Subdivision (3) of the definitions is amended to recognize that the term plaintiff or defendant can include a party appearing with counsel.

Advisory Committee’s Notes

Rule 83(4) is added to incorporate a definition of “reporter” in the Rules. As used in the simultaneous amendments of Rules 74(b)(1) and 74A(b), that term now includes both a stenographic court reporter and a person who transcribes electronically recorded court proceedings. See Advisory Committee’s Notes to those rules.

Reporter’s Notes — December 1, 1959

This rule has no federal counterpart. It is included to permit simplicity of statement in numerous rules where the defined words are used.

Plain-English Summary

Unless a rule says otherwise, five words carry fixed meanings across the entire set of civil rules. “Court” includes any District Court judge or magistrate, any Superior Court justice, and any single justice of the Supreme Judicial Court. “Clerk” means the clerk of courts for the county or division where the action is pending. “Plaintiff's attorney,” “defendant's attorney,” and similar terms include a party appearing without counsel, and conversely “plaintiff” or “defendant” includes a party who does have counsel — so a rule referring to either term reaches represented and self-represented parties alike. “Reporter” means a court reporter or a transcriber of an electronically recorded proceeding, and “the docket” means the official list of court events and filings in a case, called the Registry of Actions for electronic filing purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "court" mean under the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure?

Any judge or magistrate of the District Court, any justice of the Superior Court, and any single justice of the Supreme Judicial Court.

Does the rules' use of "plaintiff's attorney" exclude self-represented parties?

No, the term is defined to include the party appearing without counsel, and "plaintiff" or "defendant" is defined to include a party appearing with counsel, so both terms cover represented and self-represented litigants.

What is "the docket" under Rule 83?

The official list of court events and filings in a case; for electronic filing purposes, the docket is called the Registry of Actions.

Source & verification. The rule text and Advisory Committee’s Notes / Reporter’s Notes are reproduced verbatim from the official Maine Rules of Civil Procedure (Me. R. Civ. P. 83), prescribed by the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine (4 M.R.S. § 8, the Rules Enabling Act). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 8, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: definitions Maine civil ruleswhat does court mean Rule 83Registry of Actions defined