State of Maine v. Townsend Thorndike

Summary

The court affirmed Thorndike’s convictions, holding that the emergency enactment making a forensic-interview hearsay exception applicable to pending cases satisfied the Maine Constitution and did not violate separation of powers. The amendment addressed a statewide statutory inconsistency, did not compel admission of the recording, and left the trial court discretion to apply other evidentiary safeguards. The court therefore upheld admission of the victim’s recorded interview. No separate opinions were issued.