Ellen Rosenblum

Ellen Rosenblum
Attorney General of Oregon
Incumbent
In office
June 29, 2012-present
Term ends
2017
Years in position	1
Party	Democratic
Predecessor	John Kroger (D)
Compensation
Base salary	$77,200
Elections and appointments
First elected	November 6, 2012
Next election	November 8, 2016
Campaign $	$1,149,864
Appointed	June 6, 2012
Appointed by	Gov. John Kitzhaber
Term limits	N/A
Education
J.D.	University of Oregon
Personal
Profession	Prosecutor, Judge
Websites
Office website
Personal website
Campaign website

Ellen Rosenblum (b. 1950) is the current Attorney General of Oregon. A retired trial and appellate judge, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, Rosenblum won the Democratic nomination for attorney general in the 2012 primary election and was elected to her first term on November 6, 2012.

Former attorney general John Kroger (D) vacated his seat six months ahead of schedule to become President of Reed College. Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Rosenblum to serve out the remainder of Kroger's term, and she was subsequently sworn in as the state's first female attorney general on June 29, 2012 before winning election to a full term in the 2012 general election.

Biography

After receiving her law degree from the University of Oregon, Rosenblum began legal career in private practice, joining a small firm in Eugene, Oregon in 1975. By 1980, she was serving as Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, where she specialized in financial crimes. She was appointed first to the Multnomah County District Court in 1989, and later, to the Circuit Court, by former Governor Barbara Roberts. She spent the last six years serving on the Oregon Court of Appeals, gaining further experience as a judge presiding over cases cases ranging from small claims to major civil litigation and serious crimes.

Rosenblum previously served as an officer on the executive committee of the American Bar Association.

Education

• J.D. from University of Oregon

Political Career

Oregon Attorney General (2012-present)

Ellen Rosenblum was sworn in as Oregon's interim attorney general on June 29, 2012 making her the first woman to hold the position in state history. Governor John Kitzhaber’s (D) decision to appoint Rosenblum to finish Kroger's unexpired term was met with generally positive reviews from the state’s Justice Department, which the attorney general leads. After defeating Dwight Holton in the Democratic primary race on May 15, Rosenblum overtook Republican candidate James Buchal, Chris Henry (Progressive) and James Leuenberger (Libertarian, Constitution Party) in the general election on November 6, 2012, winning a full term as attorney general.

Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act

On March 11, 2013, Rosenblum, together with twleve other state attorneys general, sent a letter to Congress in support of the Protecting Financial Aid for Students and Taxpayers Act, a bill which would ban for-profit colleges from using federal funds for marketing and recruiting techniques. Sponsored by Senators Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) and Tom Harkin (D-IA), who chairs the chamber's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the law aims to “ensure that scarce federal education dollars will be used to serve and educate students rather than to finance advertising campaigns, recruitment operations, and aggressive marketing.” Consumer protection is one of the key duties assigned to the attorney general in each state.

According to the law's text, student enrollment at for-profit degree-issuing institutions such as the University of Phoenix more than doubled between 1998-2008, during which time the federal government--through student financial assistance programs--provided 86% of revenues to 15 reviewed publicly traded companies operating these for-profit colleges. A separate analysis of 15 such companies concluded that, on average, 28% of all expenditures were on advertising, marketing, and recruiting. Critics, including the attorneys general responsible for the letter advocating the bill's passage, contend that these expenditures are used to deceive consumers about program costs, graduation rates, or their employment potential beyond graduation. The bill seeks to restrict spending of this nature by higher education institutions or other postsecondary educational institution by prohibiting use of federal loans or grants in specific areas, and requiring that all such institutions whose revenues can be traced to federal educational assistance funds "report annually to the Secretary and to Congress the institution's expenditures on advertising, marketing, and recruiting."

In the letter, the attorneys general urged, “Federal taxpayers should not be asked to foot the bill for aggressive recruiting and deceptive sales tactics of colleges that have placed profits ahead of ensuring student success.” There are an estimated 3,000 for-profit schools nationwide, though neither the letter nor the bill cited the name of a specific institution.

Mortgage protections

On July 23, 2012, Rosenblum flexed her new attorney general muscles when she ordered the permanent adoption of temporary rules for shielding consumers from predatory lending practices. The rules were put in place by Kroger in February against the backdrop of the landmark $25 billion, 49-state mortgage settlement with five of the largest (and guiltiest of wrongful foreclosures) lending institutions in the country. Her decision was hailed as a sensible, Oregon-centric approach to a complex issue that could have easily been treated with a cumbersome - "one-size-fits-all" - dose of reform measures derived too literally from the nationwide settlement. The decision to enact the rules after a successful trial run was intended to ensure the trend toward codifying a safer climate for borrowers initiated by the settlement continues in Oregon. The Department of Justice also re-activated its survey effort to collect feedback from the public on how the new rules are working, and to see if any problems persist as the changes are "digested and the foreclosure mediation program fully implemented." Rosenblum inherited a state on the cusp of rebound, albeit still in precarious condition; the mortgage and foreclosure crisis four years prior devastated Oregon's housing market. At the time of the rules' adoption, Oregonians were defaulting on their mortgages at a rate of 1,400 a month.

The rules "place no new obligations on local banks and credit unions but make it unlawful for a mortgage loan servicer to fail to deal with a borrow in good faith," in addition to five other matters of conduct which violate the Oregon Unlawful Trade Practices Act, which dates back to the 1970's. (A detailed explication of the newly adopted mortgage loan rules can be viewed on the Oregon Department of Justice Website.)

Elections & Appointments

2012

See also: Oregon attorney general election, 2012

Former incumbent attorney general John Kroger (D) vacated his seat six months ahead of schedule to become President of Reed College. On June 6, 2012 Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Rosenblum to serve out the remainder of Kroger's term, and she was subsequently sworn in as the state's first female attorney general on June 29, 2012. She went on to win the general election on November 6, 2012.

• General
  • On November 6, 2012, Rosenblum defeated James Buchal (R), Chris Henry (Progressive) and James Leuenberger (Libertarian, Constitution Party) in the general election with 56.3% of the total vote.

Attorney General of Oregon General Election, 2012
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Ellen Rosenblum Incumbent	56.3%	917,627
	Republican	James Buchal	39.2%	639,363
	Libertarian	James Leuenberger	2.8%	45,451
	Progressive	Chris Henry	1.7%	28,187
Total Votes				1,630,628
Election Results via Oregon Secretary of State.

• Primary
  • On May 15, 2012, Rosenblum defeated Dwight Holton in the Democratic primary for attorney general with 64% of the vote.

Oregon Attorney General Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ellen Rosenblum	64.4%	197,366
Dwight Holton	35.4%	108,356
Write-in votes	0.2%	614
Total Votes		306,336

Issue positions

• Crime

As a former judge and attorney general candidate, Rosenblum placed herself at the center of Oregon's raging debate over how best to manage criminals in the secondary phase after they are apprehended by law enforcement officers. The debate hinges on Measure 11, a law which imposes mandatory sentences for certain crimes. The measure is a strict and ostensibly effective approach to keeping violent and sexual criminals off the streets. The tough-on-crime portion of the state electorate wants to protect the measure from challenges by critics seeking to divert resources to greater crime prevention and rehabilitation of criminals. They looked to Rosenblum to clarify her stance on the measure, as it would be well within her purview if elected AG. Rosenblum gave Measure 11 mixed reviews, stating that her experience as a appellate court judge showed her how the measure is not necessarily the most sensible use of the state's scarce resources, and “I sometimes wondered why I was even sentencing the defendant in a case because the sentence was already kind of a done deal and it took the discretion away from judges,” she added. She balanced her criticism with diplomatic assurance that she was not inclined toward "severely weakening" Measure 11. In a prepared statement to the press, she carefully summed up her points without expressing a categorical position on the issue, writing "It is critical that we take a tough stance on crime, but I am open to examining new ways of doing so that ensure that our scarce government resources are being used wisely."

Endorsements

Rosenblum's campaign was supported by Emily's List, a fund-raising network dedicated to helping female candidates win elections. The political director of Emily's List, Jonathon Parker, noted in his endorsement statement on February 16, 2012 that Rosenblum's edge in the Democratic primary was that she gave voters the chance to elect the "first woman attorney general of Oregon." Also endorsing Rosenblum:

• Citizens for Sensible Law Enforcement
• Emily's list (fund-raising network women candidates)
• Association of Federal, State, County & Municipal Employees Council 75
• Former Attorney General Hardy Myers
• Former Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer
• Eugene State Senator Floyd Prozanski
• Former Secretary of State Norma Paulus
• Former Multnomah County Chair Bev Stein
• Former Governor Barbara Roberts
• Immediate Past President of the Oregon Bar Association Steve Piucci
• The Bend Bulletin
• Klamath County DA Edwin Caleb
• Association of Federal, State, County & Municipal Employees Council 75

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Rosenblum is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Rosenblum raised a total of $1,149,864 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 18, 2013.

Ellen Rosenblum's Campaign Contribution History
Year	Office	Result	Contributions
2012	Attorney General of Oregon		$1,149,864
Grand Total Raised			$1,149,864

2012

Rosenblum won re-election to the position of Attorney General of Oregon in 2012. During that election cycle, Rosenblum raised a total of $1,149,864.

Attorney General of Oregon 2012 election - Campaign Contributions
Top contributors to Ellen Rosenblum's campaign in 2012
Democratic Attorneys General Association	$150,000
Drug Policy Action	$80,000
John Sperling	$70,000
Citizens for Sensible Law Enforcement	$53,180
Philip H. Knight	$25,000
Total Raised in 2012	$1,149,864
Source:Follow the Money

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term "Ellen + Rosenblum + Oregon + Attorney"

All stories may not be relevant to this individual due to the nature of the search engine.

Ellen Rosenblum News Feed

• Klamath raids target rural drugs-and-guns ring - McMinnville News-Register
• DOJ seeks computer system upgrade - Statesman Journal
• SCAM PATROL: Scammers scour for summer score - The World - Coos Bay World
• More than 30 arrests in Klamath Co. meth bust - kgw.com
• Klamath County drug raids: 38 arrested in operation tied to Mexican cartels - OregonLive.com
• Phoenix-based Telemarketer Charged for Scamming Consumers Through "Work ... - LoanSafe
• Scammer Settles with the State of Oregon - KLCC FM Public Radio
• Former county elections worker pleads guilty to fraud charges - Portland Tribune - Portland Tribune
• Oregon Joins Class Action Suit and Bank of America Agrees to Pay $500M to ... - LoanSafe
• Let'S Get Ready For Some Summer Activities At The Center - Dalles Chronicle

Personal

Rosenblum resides in Portland with husband, Richard Meeker. The couple has two grown children, Cate and Will.

Contact information

Campaign contact

Ellen Rosenblum for Attorney General 2012
2236 SE 10th Avenue
Portland OR 97214
Email: info@ellenrosenblum.com

See also

• Attorney General of Oregon
• Current Oregon Attorney General John Kroger
• Oregon attorney general election, 2012
• Governor of Oregon
• Gov. John Kitzhaber

External links

Suggest a link

• Oregon Department of Justice
• Ellen Rosenblum for AG
• Rosenblum on Facebook
• Follow Rosenblum on Twitter
• Project Vote Smart biography
• Campaign donors: 2012, 2010, 2008

References

Political offices
Preceded by John Kroger (D)	Attorney General of Oregon 2012-present	Succeeded by -