Judicial notice is a court’s acceptance of a well-known and indisputable fact without requiring the party relying on the fact to prove it. The doctrine of judicial notice is one of common sense, and is based on the theory that where a fact is well-known in the community—or its existence is easily determined from sources that cannot be reasonably questioned—it would not be a good use of judicial time and resources to require formal proof of the fact in court. A court may take judicial notice of both facts and laws.

In Maine, the concept of judicial notice aligns with the general principles found in other jurisdictions. Maine Rule of Evidence 201 governs the use of judicial notice in the state's courts. This rule allows courts to recognize certain facts that are not subject to reasonable dispute because they are either generally known within the territorial jurisdiction of the court or can be accurately and readily determined from sources whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned. The court may take judicial notice, whether requested by a party or not, and must take notice if a party requests it and provides the necessary information. Judicial notice can be taken at any stage of the proceeding. The rule also extends to the judicial notice of laws, which includes statutes, the common law, and official regulations of both Maine and the United States, as well as the laws of foreign countries as long as they are provided. When a court takes judicial notice of a fact or law, it is accepted as conclusive in the case, and no further evidence is required to prove it.