Friends mourn longtime judge Ian MacInnes

BANGOR – R. Christopher Almy remembers being a fresh-faced prosecutor learning on his feet under the careful watch of the strict and sometimes stoic Justice Ian MacInnes, or Judge Mac as he was known around legal circles.

In what should have been a simple case involving a car theft, Almy had forgotten to connect all of the dots and MacInnes was not pleased with his performance during the trial.

“He just blew his top,” Almy said. “I had forgotten to have the victim identify the stolen car that the alleged thief was driving when he was arrested. I just didn’t have it done and man, oh, man, Judge Mac just blew his top. I remember going back to the office when David Cox was the district attorney and just flinging that file across the room and saying, ‘I can’t do this anymore.”‘

On Monday, Almy absolutely hooted at the memory.

“Boy, I really miss him,” he said.

Justice Ian MacInnes died Friday. He was 80 years old.

Those who knew the judge, who presided over Penobscot County Superior Court for decades, said there were two Judge MacInneses; the man in the courtroom and the man outside the courtroom.

“I knew him on three levels,” said Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Paul Rudman. “I knew him as a lawyer who argued cases before him; I knew him on the tennis court; and I knew him as a justice who ruled on cases he decided. Now having said all that, I can tell you that Ian MacInnes was an absolutely beautiful human being.”

A stern approach combined with an unrivaled respect for the law kept lawyers in the area on their toes.

“He didn’t tolerate fools gladly,” said U.S. Magistrate Margaret Kravchuk. “In that courtroom he was all business and he did not tolerate nonsense. I often now wish that I did a better job of echoing that.”

But outside the courtroom he was quick to show concern and interest in the family members of those who worked around him. He would easily fork over money when children of courthouse employees showed up raising funds for schools or youth organizations.

“He was always so good to me,” recalled Almy on Monday. “When he retired, I remember he came to me and wanted to give me an inkwell. It was an inkwell that back in his day used to sit upon the prosecutor’s table in the courtroom. Well, when they refurbished the courthouse, the inkwell got lost in the shuffle and he scoffed it up. When he retired he came and wanted to be sure that I had it because I was the head prosecutor for the county. Traditions were very important to him.”

Rudman said that MacInnes simply made lawyers better at their job.

“They knew that when they went before him they had better be prepared. Those who didn’t learn from him might tell you he was mean. But he wasn’t mean at all. He was a kind, beautiful person who expected lawyers to know their business. That’s a good thing in my book,” said Rudman.

MacInnes was born in Stewart Manor, on Long Island, N.Y., and served in World War II. After the war, he graduated from Bowdoin College and Boston University Law School and opened a law office in Bangor. He served several terms as assistant Penobscot County attorney and then as county attorney. He was appointed to the District Court bench in 1962 and then elevated to the Superior Court bench. He served there until he went to active-retired status in 1991. He continued to hear cases part-time until the late 1990s.

He is survived by Betsy MacInnes, his wife of 55 years, a daughter, Margaret, and a son, John, of Bangor.

Relatives and friends are invited to share conversation and refreshments from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14, at the Brookings-Smith Family Center at 163 Center St.