(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown announced today that she will appoint Chris Garrett, a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals, to the Oregon Supreme Court. The appointment is Governor Brown's fifth judicial appointment to Oregon's Supreme Court.

“Judge Garrett is a talented, thoughtful, and even-keeled jurist who is passionate about Oregon’s courts and the rule of law,” Governor Brown said. “He brings to our high court the experience of a respected civil litigator, an effective state legislator, and a productive appellate judge. His brilliant mind and collegial style will be tremendous assets to the court and the people of Oregon.”

Judge Garrett will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Rives Kistler. The appointment is effective January 1, 2019.

Judge Garrett was appointed to the Oregon Court of Appeals by Governor Kitzhaber in 2014, after serving as a state representative from Lake Oswego and southwest Portland from 2009 to 2013. From 2002 through 2013, Judge Garrett was a civil litigator at Perkins Coie LLP in Portland. He began his career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in New York from 2000 to 2001, and then clerked for Judge Dennis Jacobs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Judge Garrett graduated from Reed College and the University of Chicago Law School.

As a member of the Court of Appeals, Judge Garrett authored the court’s opinion in Klein v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, which upheld the enforcement of Oregon’s law that protects LGBTQ individuals from discrimination against bakery-owners who refused to provide a wedding cake to a same-sex couple. As a member of the Legislature, then-Representative Garrett brokered a bipartisan redistricting plan and championed the Justice Reinvestment Act (HB 3194), which funds criminal justice alternatives to incarceration.

In addition to his law practice and judicial service, Judge Garrett has served his community and the legal profession as well. He teaches as an adjunct professor at Willamette University College of Law, and assists the Classroom Law Project as a volunteer judge. Judge Garrett was a member of the board of directors of Oregon Lawyers Against Hunger, served on the Governor’s Public Safety Commission, and recently co-chaired the Oregon State Bar’s Legal Futures Task Force.

(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown announced today that she will appoint Amy M. Baggio and Heidi H. Moawad, and intends to appoint Steffan K. Alexander, to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Baggio and Moawad will fill vacancies created by the retirements of Judges Marilyn E. Litzenberger and John A. Wittmayer. Their appointments are effective immediately, and they will be sworn in individually in the coming weeks. Alexander will fill a vacancy created by the expected elevation of Judge Karin J. Immergut to the federal district court; his appointment will be effective at the time of Judge Immergut’s resignation, once her nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

“Amy Baggio, Steffan Alexander, and Heidi Moawad bring a suite of professional experiences and skills that match the diverse needs of our state’s busiest court,” Governor Brown said. “Together, they will enrich the Multnomah County bench with an extraordinary breadth of experience — in criminal and civil litigation, from both sides of the criminal bar, in state and federal court, and in government and the private sector. The demonstrated work ethic, sound judgment, and compassion of these individuals will serve the justice system well.”

Baggio is a criminal defense attorney in private practice. For 10 years, until 2013, Baggio worked at the Office of the Federal Public Defender. She began her legal career at Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland, where she practiced for one year. She graduated from Lewis and Clark Law School and Wake Forest University. Baggio received awards from the ACLU of Oregon and American Jewish Committee for her representation of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp. She volunteers her time as a commissioner on the Public Defense Services Commission, is an attorney representative to the Ninth Circuit for the District of Oregon, and previously served on the Federal Bar Association Board of Directors.

Moawad, a former prosecutor, is public safety policy advisor in the Governor’s Office, where she has worked for six years. She oversees several state agencies and manages the Governor’s criminal justice policy agenda. Moawad has also managed the Governor’s Office’s response to emergency incidents, including a large number of wildfires, the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College, and the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation. For 14 years, until 2013, Moawad was a deputy district attorney in the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. While there, she was entrusted with special assignment to the investigation of the disappearance of Kyron Horman. In 2005, Moawad served as counsel to the Judiciary Committee for the legislative session that year. She is a graduate of Whittier College, from which she received a bachelor of arts degree, and the University of Oregon Law School, from which she received a law degree. Moawad has been involved in the community as a board member for Camp Rosenbaum, a nonprofit outdoors camp for youth from underserved urban communities, and a member of various committees of the Multnomah Bar Association.

Alexander is a civil litigation attorney at the firm Markowitz Herbold PC, where he has worked for six years and has risen to partner. He was previously a prosecutor for five years in Florida and then worked briefly as litigation counsel for a natural gas and electric company there. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida. He is a member of the Public Defense Services Commission and the Classroom Law Project Board of Directors. He is also the Ninth Circuit lawyer representative of Oregon’s federal district court and volunteers as a coach of Jefferson High School’s mock trial team.

(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown today announced that she will appoint Rebecca D. Guptill to the Washington County Circuit Court. Ms. Guptill fills the vacancy created by Judge Kirsten E. Thompson’s recent retirement. Her appointment is effective immediately.

“Rebecca Guptill is a dedicated, hard-working trial attorney with a stellar reputation among the bench and bar,” Governor Brown said. “Her criminal law and family law experience — along with her passion for serving the people of Washington County — will allow her to hit the ground running on day one.”

Ms. Guptill grew up in Waldport, Oregon. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California, she earned a law degree from Willamette University College of Law. Since law school, Ms. Guptill has litigated a wide variety of matters, including domestic relations, criminal defense, and juvenile dependency cases. She is currently an attorney at the Harris Velázquez Gibbens law firm in Hillsboro, and serves as a volunteer pro tem judge in Washington County.

In addition to her legal practice, Ms. Guptill is involved in her community. She has served as president of the Washington County Bar Association, and is currently the chair of both the Lawyers Association of Washington County and the Washington County Law Library Advisory Committee. Ms. Guptill also is actively involved in the Oregon State Bar, Oregon Women Lawyers, and serves on the Washington County Bench Bar Committee.