AUGUSTA — A lawyer who served as tribal prosecutor for the Passamaquoddy Tribal Court in Pleasant Point and Indian Township has been sworn in as a Maine judge.

Gov. Paul LePage presided over the ceremony for Calais resident David J. Mitchell, who’ll serve as a District Court judge. Judge John V. Romei also was sworn in to service as an active retired District Court judge.

LePage said his focus in choosing judges is on “qualifications, demeanor, and integrity of the candidates, not politics.”

He said both Mitchell and Romei reflect those priorities. Both judges were reviewed by the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary and confirmed by the full Senate.