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Judges appointed by Kate Brown
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This page lists judges appointed by Kate Brown (D) during her term as Governor of Oregon. As of today, the total number of Brown appointees was 60. For the full profile of Brown, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Oregon judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Brown.
Appointment process
In Oregon, the governor makes judicial appointments. New judges must compete in the next general election held more than 60 days after appointment.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Oregon Supreme Court Position 1 |
January 1, 2023 - Present |
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|
Oregon Supreme Court Position 2 |
2017 - Present |
|
|
Oregon Supreme Court Position 3 |
April 1, 2017 - Present |
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Oregon Supreme Court Position 4 |
January 1, 2019 - Present |
|
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Oregon Supreme Court Position 5 |
2018 - Unknown |
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Oregon Supreme Court Position 6 |
2016 - December 31, 2021 |
|
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Oregon Supreme Court Position 6 |
January 19, 2022 - Present |
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|
Oregon Supreme Court Position 7 |
January 1, 2023 - Present |
Court of Appeals
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Oregon Court of Appeals Position 1 |
May 17, 2019 - October 31, 2024 |
|
|
Oregon Court of Appeals Position 10 |
January 19, 2021 - Present |
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|
Oregon Court of Appeals Position 11 |
January 19, 2021 - Present |
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Oregon Court of Appeals Position 2 |
January 1, 2023 - Present |
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Oregon Court of Appeals Position 2 |
2017 - January 1, 2023 |
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Oregon Court of Appeals Position 4 |
2017 - Present |
|
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Oregon Court of Appeals Position 5 |
January 1, 2016 - Present |
|
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Oregon Court of Appeals Position 7 |
2017 - Present |
|
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Oregon Court of Appeals Position 8 |
December 7, 2015 - January 19, 2022 |
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|
Oregon Court of Appeals Position 8 |
January 19, 2022 - Present |
|
|
Oregon Court of Appeals Position 9 |
January 17, 2020 - Present |
Other State Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Oregon Tax Court |
January 1, 2018 - Present |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Oregon 11th Judicial District Circuit Courts |
||
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Oregon 13th Judicial District Circuit Courts |
||
|
Oregon 15th Judicial District Circuit Courts |
2017 - Present |
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Oregon 15th Judicial District Circuit Courts |
2017 - Present |
|
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Oregon 17th Judicial District Circuit Courts |
January 17, 2020 - Present |
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Oregon 20th Judicial District Circuit Courts |
||
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Oregon 20th Judicial District Circuit Courts |
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Oregon 22nd Judicial District Circuit Courts |
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Oregon 22nd Judicial District Circuit Courts |
2019 - October 10, 2021 |
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Oregon 23rd Judicial District Circuit Courts |
||
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Oregon 2nd Judicial District Circuit Courts |
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Oregon 3rd Judicial District Circuit Courts |
February 2, 2022 - Present |
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Oregon 3rd Judicial District Circuit Courts |
||
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Oregon 3rd Judicial District Circuit Courts |
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|
Oregon 3rd Judicial District Circuit Courts |
March 11, 2021 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 1 |
September 11, 2019 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 10 |
||
|
Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 11 |
August 12, 2019 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 13 |
September 11, 2019 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 15 |
||
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 20 |
January 1, 2023 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 21 |
January 1, 2023 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 22 |
September 20, 2021 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 23 |
||
|
Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 24 |
2016 - Present |
|
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 25 |
February 22, 2022 - Present |
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|
Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 26 |
2019 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 27 |
||
|
Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 3 |
July 1, 2022 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 30 |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 32 |
April 1, 2017 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 35 |
October 16, 2015 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 36 |
March 14, 2019 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 37 |
September 20, 2021 - Present |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 38 |
March 14, 2019 - August 22, 2024 |
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 4 |
||
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Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 8 |
February 1, 2022 - Present |
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Oregon 5th Judicial District Circuit Courts |
2017 - Present |
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Oregon 5th Judicial District Circuit Courts |
||
|
Washington County Circuit Court |
2017 - 2019 |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Oregon
| Judicial selection in Oregon | |
 | |
| Oregon Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Oregon Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Oregon Circuit Courts | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
| Oregon County Courts | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Oregon, including:
As of April 2025, state court judges in Oregon were selected exclusively through nonpartisan elections. Judges seeking to serve more than one term must stand for re-election.[2] Judges' terms begin on the first Monday in January following their election.[3]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[4] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[5] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[6] | 1[7] | 17[8] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Oregon | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 4,024,634 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 95,988 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 85.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.8% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 4.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 12.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 30.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $51,243 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 18.4% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Oregon. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Oregon
Oregon voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, two are located in Oregon, accounting for 0.97 percent of the total pivot counties.[9]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Oregon had two Retained Pivot Counties, 1.10 of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Oregon coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Oregon
- United States congressional delegations from Oregon
- Public policy in Oregon
- Endorsers in Oregon
- Oregon fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Oregon," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Oregon," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Oregon State Legislature, "Oregon Constitution," accessed August 29, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Oregon • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Oregon
State courts:
Oregon Supreme Court • Oregon Court of Appeals • Oregon Circuit Courts • Oregon Tax Court • Oregon County Courts • Oregon Justice Courts • Oregon Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Oregon • Oregon judicial elections • Judicial selection in Oregon
