Marion County Circuit judge retiring

April 14, 2011

Oregon: Marion County Circuit Judge Don Dickey has announced that he will be stepping down from the bench on April 30. Dickey was first elected to the bench in 1996 and again in 2008, but he has decided to retire half way through his six-year term. Dickey said of his service on the bench, "I preferred to get people to reach an agreement, rather than telling them what to do," and co-workers agreed, including Presiding Judge Jamese Rhoades who said, "He's known for his fairness and he cares a lot about the people involved in disputes. Lawyers from other jurisdictions in Oregon will come here to have him do their settlements rather than filing them in their jurisdiction." Attorney Kim Hoyt, with the law firm of Garrett Hemann Robertson, echoed the sentiment saying, "Both sides of the Marion County Bar Association have the highest respect for Judge Dickey and his abilities to bring people together to resolve an issue." Dickey said that he will miss his co-workers and may even decide to stay on as judge pro-tem for the county. When asked about his decision he said, "I love my job, but it's time to move on. I feel like I'm at the top of my game, but I don't want to play too long."