(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown announced today that she will appoint Rep. Michael R. McLane (R-Powell Butte) to the 22nd Judicial District Circuit Court, which covers Crook and Jefferson Counties.

McLane, who lives in Powell Butte, has represented House District 55 since 2011 and was the Republican Leader of the House of Representatives from 2012 to 2018. He is a staff judge advocate in the Oregon Air National Guard, maintains a private business litigation practice, and, for two years, was a judge pro tempore on the Deschutes County Circuit Court.

“Representative McLane is well-known in the Capitol for his sharp mind, personal integrity, and respect for the rule of law,” said Governor Brown. “While we haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on policy, Mike’s deep commitment to promoting the public good is never in doubt. These qualities have served the Oregon Legislature well and will now enrich our state court bench.”

McLane is a partner at the firm Lynch Conger McLane LLP, in Bend, where he advises and litigates on behalf of business clients. He earlier worked at several other firms, including the Portland-based firms Miller Nash Graham and Dunn LLP, and Stoel Rives LLP, as well as one of Central Oregon’s oldest firms, Bryant, Emerson & Fitch, LLP. From 1994 to 2001, McLane served as Chief Executive Officer of Flying Rhinoceros Inc., which he co-founded, a publisher of bilingual elementary curriculum materials and creator of a television cartoon series. He began his career as a law clerk to Oregon Supreme Court Justice W. Michael Gillette, who is now retired.

McLane is also a lieutenant colonel? in the Oregon Air National Guard, where he serves as a staff judge advocate. He was previously an officer in the 41st Infantry Brigade of the Oregon Army National Guard. McLane earned his law degree at Lewis & Clark Law School, finishing at the top of his class, and his bachelor’s degree at Oregon State University.

Governor Brown appoints McLane to a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Daniel J. Ahern. The appointment is effective immediately, but he will be sworn in and begin his judicial service in July.

(Salem, OR) — Governor Kate Brown announced today that she will appoint Kamala H. Shugar to the Lane County Circuit Court.

Shugar, a former prosecutor who is currently special counsel to Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum, will fill a vacancy created by the elevation of Judge Josephine H. Mooney to the Oregon Court of Appeals. The appointment is effective upon Judge Mooney’s resignation from her Lane County position, expected June 3, 2019.

“Kamala Shugar has served the public for her whole career — as a prosecutor, child advocacy lawyer, law professor, and trusted advisor to the Attorney General. She will now continue her public service from the Lane County bench,” Governor Brown said. “Kamala has been in the trenches as a front-line trial attorney and in the halls of government working to improve our state’s justice system. Her rounded experience and commitment to the fair administration of justice will benefit the Lane County Circuit Court.”

Shugar has worked at the Oregon Department of Justice for the past 13 years, first as chief of the Child Advocacy Section’s Eugene office and then, since 2017, as special counsel to Attorney General Rosenblum. In her current role, Shugar works with Oregon's nine federally recognized Native American Tribes and coordinates multistate litigation against the federal government. From 2013 to 2018, she was also an adjunct professor at the University of Oregon Law School, teaching classes on state administrative law and legislative issues. Shugar began her career as a prosecutor in the Lane County District Attorney’s Office for 10 years, handling felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile dependency and delinquency cases. A Lane County resident since age five, she grew up on a family farm in Pleasant Hill and attended college and law school at the University of Oregon.

Shugar is a commissioner on the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, and a member of the Legal Services Program Committee of the Oregon State Bar and the Eugene Round Table Club. She co-chaired the statewide Campaign for Equal Justice, which provides financial support for Oregon's legal aid programs, and chaired Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. Most recently, she has served on the 2019 Lane County Budget Committee, advocating for a new county courthouse.

(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.