Oregon Judicial Vacancies
Recent Vacancies
Governor Kate Brown Announces Lincoln County Circuit Court Vacancy
(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown announced today that she is accepting applications for a judicial vacancy on the Lincoln County Circuit Court created by the planned retirement of Judge Thomas Branford. The Governor thanked Judge Branford for his dedicated judicial service, and announced that she will fill the position by appointment. Judge Branford's retirement takes effect February 28, 2021.
Interested applicants should mail (no hand delivery) their completed application forms to: Dustin Buehler, General Counsel, Office of the Governor, 900 Court Street NE #254, Salem, OR 97301-4047. Forms must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 1, 2021. Forms emailed by 5:00 p.m. on the closing date will be considered timely so long as original signed forms postmarked by the closing date are later received.
Governor Kate Brown fills judicial vacancies based on merit. She encourages applications from lawyers with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.
ORS 3.041 and 3.050 provide that at the time of appointment to the court, the candidate must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Oregon, and a member of the Oregon State Bar. SB 977, recently passed by the Legislature, creates a new requirement. It amends ORS 3.041 and requires that these vacancies must be filled by persons who are residents of or have principal offices in the judicial districts to which they are appointed or adjacent judicial districts.
To receive answers to questions about the appointment process, contact Shevaun Gutridge at 503-378-6246 or shevaun.gutridge@oregon.gov.
Governor Brown is committed to a diverse and inclusive judiciary. The Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association (OAPABA), OGALLA, the LGBTQ Bar Association, the Oregon Chapter of the National Bar Association (OC-NBA), and the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association (OHBA) have created the Oregon Judicial Diversity Coalition (OJDC) to conduct interviews for applicants interested in receiving endorsements from those specialty bars. Applicants interested in participating in the OJDC's interview process can find information and application materials here (http://oapaba.org/judicial-endorsements). All applications to OJDC are due no later than the deadline for the application forms to the Governor.Governor Brown Announces Lane and Marion County Circuit Court Vacancies
(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown announced today that she intends to fill two judicial vacancies, created by the planned retirement of Judge Ilisa Rooke-Ley from the Lane County Circuit Court, and the planned retirement of Judge Claudia Burton from the Marion County Circuit Court. Both retirements will take effect December 31, 2020. The Governor thanked Judge Rooke-Ley and Judge Burton for their dedicated judicial service.
The Governor's Office currently is conducting an appointments process for Marion County, to fill the vacancy created by the previously announced retirement of Judge Mary James. Applicants that applied for that position also will be considered for the vacancy created by Judge Burton's retirement. Governor Brown will fill both Marion County vacancies from the same applicant pool. That list of candidates is available on the Oregon State Bar's website.
Last summer, there was a prior judicial vacancy on the Lane County Circuit Court, for which candidates were interviewed and vetted by the Governor's Office and the local bar association. Governor Brown will make an appointment for the current Lane County vacancy from the list of candidates who applied and were interviewed previously. That list of candidates also is available on the Oregon State Bar's website (under "Governor Brown Announces Lane County Circuit Court Vacancy" below).
Comments on any of the candidates can be submitted to Dustin Buehler, General Counsel, Office of the Governor, at 503-378-6246, or dustin.e.buehler@oregon.gov.
To receive answers to questions about the appointment process, contact Shevaun Gutridge at 503-378-6246 or shevaun.gutridge@oregon.gov.
Governor Brown is committed to a diverse and inclusive judiciary. The Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association (OAPABA), OGALLA, the LGBTQ Bar Association, the Oregon Chapter of the National Bar Association (OC-NBA), and the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association (OHBA) have created the Oregon Judicial Diversity Coalition (OJDC) to conduct interviews for applicants interested in receiving endorsements from those specialty bars. Applicants interested in participating in the OJDC's interview process can find information and application materials here (http://oapaba.org/judicial-endorsements). All applications to OJDC are due no later than the deadline for the application forms to the Governor.Governor Kate Brown Announces Jackson County Justice Court Vacancy
The following candidates have submitted materials to the Governor's Office for this vacancy. Comments on any of the candidates can be made to Deputy General Counsel at Governor Kate Brown's Office, Dustin Buehler, (503) 378-6246, or dustin.e.buehler@oregon.gov.
Watson, Janice
Wente, Nathan
Zammetti, Jennifer
Governor Brown Announces Lane County Circuit Court Vacancy
The following candidates have submitted materials to the Governor's Office for this vacancy. Comments on any of the candidates can be made to Deputy General Counsel at Governor Kate Brown's Office, Dustin Buehler, (503) 378-6246, or dustin.e.buehler@oregon.gov.
Gardner, James
Hajarizadeh, Michael
Husted, Amanda
Morgan, Stephen
Saint Marie, Katina
Stanton, Luke
Steel, Margaret
Tapia, Sebastian
Governor Brown Announces Marion County Circuit Court Vacancy
The following candidates have submitted materials to the Governor's Office for this vacancy. Comments on any of the candidates can be made to Deputy General Counsel at Governor Kate Brown's Office, Dustin Buehler, (503) 378-6246, or dustin.e.buehler@oregon.gov.
Bureta, Jodie
Carlson, David
Edmonds, James
Gardiner, Jennifer
Johnson, Erious
Parker, Melissa
Queen, Amy
Tingleaf, Tobias
Tracy, Matthew
White, Tracy
Williamson, Leonard
Wilson, Shannon
Zimmerman, Natasha
Governor Brown Announces Morrow County Justice Court Vacancy
(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown announced today that she is accepting applications for a judicial vacancy on the Morrow County Justice Court created by the planned retirement of Judge Annetta Spicer. The Governor thanked Judge Spicer for her dedicated judicial service, and announced that she will fill the position by appointment. Judge Spicer’s retirement takes effect December 31, 2019.
The Governor’s office will use its standard Circuit Court Interest Form for this Justice Court vacancy. Interested applicants should mail or deliver their completed application forms to: Dustin Buehler, Deputy General Counsel, Office of the Governor, 900 Court Street NE, Suite 254, Salem, OR 97301-4047. Forms must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 28, 2019. Forms emailed by 5:00 p.m. on the closing date will be considered timely so long as original signed forms postmarked by the closing date are later received.
Governor Kate Brown fills judicial vacancies based on merit. She encourages applications from individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. ORS 51.240 sets forth the qualifications for office. Applicants should review the statute to confirm their eligibility for appointment.
To receive answers to questions about the appointment process, or to request an interest form, contact Shevaun Gutridge at 503-378-6246 or shevaun.gutridge@oregon.gov.
The judicial interest form is also available online.
Recent Appointments
Governor Kate Brown Appoints Stephen Morgan to Lane County Circuit Court
Salem, OR—Governor Kate Brown announced today that she will appoint Stephen Morgan to the Lane County Circuit Court. Morgan will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Ilisa Rooke-Ley, who is retiring at the end of this month. The appointment is effective January 1, 2021.
“Stephen Morgan brings a tremendous amount of experience and compassion to the bench,” said Governor Brown. “He has spent his career prosecuting the most egregious cases of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault. Through this work, he has served the community’s most vulnerable through a trauma-informed lens and has given victims a voice in our criminal justice system.”
Morgan is a deputy district attorney in the Lane County District Attorney’s Office, where he leads the domestic violence trial team that he helped create in 2008. He joined the District Attorney's Office in 2002 and has prosecuted a spectrum of cases from homicide and robbery to child abuse and domestic violence. An active member of the community, he mentors law students, served on the board of the Eugene Timbers Futbol Club, and is a member of the Lane County Domestic Violence Council.
Morgan was raised by his mother in Madras, Oregon, and joined the Marine Reserves after graduating high school. He obtained his bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of Oregon. In between earning these degrees, he taught English in Taiwan for two years and traveled extensively before settling in Eugene—the community he has called home for nearly two decades.