AUGUSTA – Gov. John E. Baldacci today nominated Ellen Gorman, a superior court justice who lives in Auburn, to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

He also nominated Michaela Murphy, a lawyer who has represented convicted killer Dennis Dechaine, to the Superior Court.

Gorman was appointed to the superior court by Gov. Angus King in 2000. She was reappointed by Governor Baldacci earlier this year. She was appointed to the district court in 1989 by Governor John McKernan.

Gorman is a graduate of Trinity College in Washington, D.C., and Cornell Law School in Ithaca, N.Y.

If confirmed by the state Senate, Gorman will fill the seat vacated by the retirement of Supreme Judicial Court Justice Susan Calkins, who announced her Oct. 1 resignation in July.

Murphy is a partner in Jabar, Batten, Ringer and Murphy, a Waterville law firm. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Maine School of Law.

Murphy’s legal career has included working as a public defender in Montana and as an assistant district attorney in Augusta.

“Michaela Murphy has had an impressive career handling both civil and criminal cases in Maine,” Governor Baldacci said. “She’s an experienced trial lawyer who has worked as a defense attorney and prosecutor. She will be a strong addition to the Superior Court.”

Murphy lives in Rome.

Both nominations will be considered by the state Senate during a confirmation session, which will likely be held in September, according to the Senate President’s Office.