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In Final Days of Her Tenure, Gov. Kate Brown Completes Reshaping of Oregon Bench
In Final Days of Her Tenure, Gov. Kate Brown Completes Reshaping of Oregon Bench,News reporter Nigel Jaquiss joined Willamette Week in 1998. He covers politics.

In Final Days of Her Tenure, Gov. Kate Brown Completes Reshaping of Oregon Bench

In the final days of her final term, Gov. Kate Brown put the finishing touches on one of her most comprehensive projects as governor: appointing judges who more closely represent the people they serve.

Oregon’s constitution calls for the election of judges but, in practice, most judges retire prior to the end of their elected terms, which allows the governor to appoint their replacements. And a retirement at the highest level, the Oregon Supreme Court, often means a circuit or appeals court judge gets appointed to the vacancy, which creates another vacancy for the governor to fill.

Once on the bench, Oregon judges rarely face contested elections.

The retirement of baby boomer judges, now in full swing, has created enormous opportunity for Brown. The governor appointed five new judges today, bringing the total number of judicial appointments Brown has made to 112.

Most notably, Brown filled two vacancies on the Oregon Supreme Court, elevating Judge Stephen Bushong from Multnomah County Circuit Court and Judge Bronson James from the Oregon Court of Appeals.

James’ judicial career illustrates how the frequent opportunity to appoint judges has allowed Brown to remake Oregon’s courts. In 2016, Brown appointed him to fill a vacancy on the Multnomah County circuit bench; the following year, she named him to fill a vacancy on the Oregon Court of Appeals; and today, she tapped him to replace the retiring chief justice, Martha Walters.

Related: This Portland judge has an arm-length Doctor Strange tattoo under his robes.

“Throughout my time as governor, I have sought to appoint highly qualified individuals with deep connections to their communities, extensive courtroom experience, and professional and lived experiences that are representative of all of Oregon,” Brown said in a statement.

“The people I am appointing today, including to our highest courts, represent the best of those qualities, and I am grateful they are willing to answer the call to service.”

The bench has traditionally been the province of men, most of whom are white. Brown was determined to make the faces above the black robes more closely resemble the state’s demographics.

Brown’s final judicial appointment tally, according to the governor’s office:

  • 56 judges who are women, 55 who are men, and one who is nonbinary
  • 27 judges who are people of color
  • 2 judges who are Native American
  • 8 judges who openly identify as LGBTQ+

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