Oregon Supreme Court

Oregon Supreme Court
Court Information
Justices: 7
Founded: 1859
Location: Salem, Oregon
Salary
Associates: $188,208
Judicial Selection
Method: Nonpartisan election
Term: 6 years
Active justices
Stephen K. Bushong, Roger J. DeHoog, Rebecca Duncan, Meagan A. Flynn, Chris Garrett, Bronson James, Aruna Masih

Founded in 1859, the Oregon Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Meagan A. Flynn.

As of September 2023, all seven judges on the court were appointed by a Democratic governor.

The Oregon Supreme Court meets in the Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon.

In Oregon, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.

Jurisdiction

The Oregon supreme court is the highest court in the state. The Oregon Supreme Court has discretionary jurisdiction to review decisions from the Oregon Court of Appeals. The court also "hears direct appeals in death penalty, lawyer and judicial discipline, and Oregon Tax Court cases," "may accept original jurisdiction in mandamus, quo warranto, and habeas corpus proceedings," and "reviews ballot measure titles, prison siting disputes, reapportionment of legislative districts and legal questions on Oregon law referred by federal courts."

The chief justice is the administrative head of the judicial department and also exercises administrative authority over the appellate, circuit, and tax courts. The chief justice creates rules and procedures for judges, officers, and employees of the courts. The chief justice appoints the chief judge of the court of appeals and presiding judges of state trial courts. The chief justice oversees statewide budgeting, accounting, and fiscal management of the judicial branch.

The supreme court admits lawyers to practice law through the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners and it has the power to reprimand or disbar lawyers. The supreme court also has the power to censure, suspend, or remove judges.

The following text from Article VII, Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the Oregon Constitution covers the jurisdiction of the court:

“	Section 1: Courts; Election of Judges; Term of Office; Compensation The judicial power of the state shall be vested in one supreme court and in such other courts as may from time to time be created by law. The judges of the supreme and other courts shall be elected by the legal voters of the state or of their respective districts for a term of six years, and shall receive such compensation as may be provided by law, which compensation shall not be diminished during the term for which they are elected. Section 2: Amendment's Effect on Courts, Jurisdiction and Judicial System; Supreme Court's Original Jurisdiction The courts, jurisdiction, and judicial system of Oregon, except so far as expressly changed by this amendment, shall remain as at present constituted until otherwise provided by law. But the supreme court may, in its own discretion, take original jurisdiction in mandamus, quo warranto and habeas corpus proceedings. Section 3: Jury Trial; Re-Examination of Issues by Appellate Court; Record on Appeal to Supreme Court; Affirmance Notwithstanding Error; Determination of Case by Supreme Court In actions at law, where the value in controversy shall exceed $750, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of this state, unless the court can affirmatively say there is no evidence to support the verdict. Until otherwise provided by law, upon appeal of any case to the supreme court, either party may have attached to the bill of exceptions the whole testimony, the instructions of the court to the jury, and any other matter material to the decision of the appeal. If the supreme court shall be of opinion, after consideration of all the matters thus submitted, that the judgment of the court appealed from was such as should have been rendered in the case, such judgment shall be affirmed, notwithstanding any error committed during the trial; or if, in any respect, the judgment appealed from should be changed, and the supreme court shall be of opinion that it can determine what judgment should have been entered in the court below, it shall direct such judgment to be entered in the same manner and with like effect as decrees are now entered in equity cases on appeal to the supreme court. Provided, that nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the supreme court to find the defendant in a criminal case guilty of an offense for which a greater penalty is provided than that of which the accused was convicted in the lower court.	”
—Oregon Constitution, Article VII, Sections 1, 2, and 3

Justices

The table below lists the current justices of the Oregon Supreme Court, their political party, when they assumed office, and the appointing governor.

Office	Name	Party	Date assumed office	Appointed by
Oregon Supreme Court Position 1	Stephen K. Bushong	Nonpartisan	January 1, 2023	Kate Brown (D)
Oregon Supreme Court Position 2	Rebecca Duncan	Nonpartisan	2017	Kate Brown (D)
Oregon Supreme Court Position 3	Meagan A. Flynn	Nonpartisan	April 1, 2017	Kate Brown (D)
Oregon Supreme Court Position 4	Chris Garrett	Nonpartisan	January 1, 2019	Kate Brown (D)
Oregon Supreme Court Position 5	Aruna Masih	Nonpartisan	September 1, 2023	Tina Kotek (D)
Oregon Supreme Court Position 6	Roger J. DeHoog	Nonpartisan	January 19, 2022	Kate Brown (D)
Oregon Supreme Court Position 7	Bronson James	Nonpartisan	January 1, 2023	Kate Brown (D)

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Oregon

The seven justices on the Oregon Supreme Court are selected through nonpartisan elections. Judges' terms begin on the first Monday in January following their election.

Judges serve six-year terms. Judges seeking to serve more than one term must stand for re-election.

Qualifications

To serve on this court, a judge must be:

• a U.S. citizen;
• a state resident for at least three years;
• a state bar member; and
• under the age of 75.

Chief justice

The chief justice is selected by peer vote and serves in that capacity for a six-year term.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the governor appoints a replacement. The appointee serves until the next general election occurring 61 or more days after the vacancy, at which point he or she may run for election. The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

Elections

See also: Oregon Supreme Court elections

2024

See also: Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2024

Position 1

General election

General election for Oregon Supreme Court Position 1

Incumbent Stephen K. Bushong won election in the general election for Oregon Supreme Court Position 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stephen K. Bushong (Nonpartisan)	97.9	1,221,817
		Other/Write-in votes	2.1	26,077

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,247,894
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Stephen K. Bushong advanced from the primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 1.

Position 2

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 2

Incumbent Rebecca Duncan won election outright in the primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 2 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rebecca Duncan (Nonpartisan)	97.8	584,752
		Other/Write-in votes	2.2	12,979

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 597,731
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Position 3

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 3

Incumbent Meagan A. Flynn won election outright in the primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 3 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Meagan A. Flynn (Nonpartisan)	97.9	580,295
		Other/Write-in votes	2.1	12,567

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 592,862
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Position 5

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 5

Incumbent Aruna Masih won election outright in the primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 5 on May 21, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Aruna Masih (Nonpartisan)	97.8	571,880
		Other/Write-in votes	2.2	12,895

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 584,775
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Position 7

General election

General election for Oregon Supreme Court Position 7

Incumbent Bronson James won election in the general election for Oregon Supreme Court Position 7 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bronson James (Nonpartisan)	98.1	1,212,011
		Other/Write-in votes	1.9	23,702

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,235,713
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Bronson James advanced from the primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 7.

2022

See also: Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2022

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 6

Incumbent Roger J. DeHoog won election outright in the primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 6 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Roger J. DeHoog (Nonpartisan)	98.2	613,950
		Other/Write-in votes	1.8	11,515

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 625,465
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Justices not on the ballot

• Lynn Nakamoto

2020

See also: Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2020

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 1

Incumbent Thomas Balmer won election outright against Van Pounds in the primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 1 on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Thomas Balmer (Nonpartisan)	70.8	727,421
		Van Pounds (Nonpartisan)	28.8	295,887
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	3,638

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,026,946
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

Special general election for Oregon Supreme Court Position 4

Incumbent Chris Garrett won election in the special general election for Oregon Supreme Court Position 4 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chris Garrett (Nonpartisan)	97.3	1,366,654
		Other/Write-in votes	2.7	38,206

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,404,860
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Chris Garrett advanced from the special primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 4.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 7

Incumbent Martha L. Walters won election outright in the primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 7 on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Martha L. Walters (Nonpartisan)	98.7	828,329
		Other/Write-in votes	1.3	10,625

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 838,954
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2018

See also: Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2018

Candidates and results

Position 2

■ Rebecca Duncan (Incumbent) (won election outright)

Position 3

■ Meagan A. Flynn (Incumbent) (won election outright)
■ Van Pounds

General election

General election for Oregon Supreme Court Position 5

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adrienne Nelson (Nonpartisan)	98.2	1,059,178
		Other/Write-in votes	1.8	19,514

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,078,692
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

Main article: Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2016

Three seats on the Oregon Supreme Court were up for election in 2016. These seats were held by Rives Kistler, Lynn Nakamoto, and Jack Landau heading into the election. Each justice elected to the court serves a six-year term. Two seats were elected on May 17; the remaining seat was elected on November 8, 2016.

Justices Rives Kistler and Jack Landau both ran unopposed and were re-elected on May 17. Justice Lynn Nakamoto ran unopposed and was elected on November 8.

November 8 candidates

Position 6

■ Lynn Nakamoto (Incumbent/Unopposed)

November 8 election results

Oregon Supreme Court, Position 6, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Lynn Nakamoto Incumbent (unopposed)	97.85%	1,140,090
Write-in votes	2.15%	25,033
Total Votes (100% reporting)		1,165,123
Source: Oregon Secretary of State Official Results

May 17 candidates

Position 4

■ Rives Kistler (Incumbent/Unopposed)

Position 5

■ Jack Landau (Incumbent/Unopposed)

May 17 election results

Oregon Supreme Court, Position 4, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Rives Kistler Incumbent (unopposed)	98.66%	645,539
Write-in votes	1.34%	8,781
Total Votes (100% reporting)		654,320
Source: Oregon Secretary of State Official Results

Oregon Supreme Court, Position 5, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jack Landau Incumbent (unopposed)	98.80%	644,620
Write-in votes	1.2%	7,817
Total Votes (100% reporting)		652,437
Source: Oregon Secretary of State Official Results

2014

Unopposed	Judge Thomas Balmer (Position 1)

Unopposed	Judge Martha Walters (Position 7)

• Election history, 2008-2012 (click to expand)

  2012

  See also: Oregon judicial elections, 2012

  Candidate	Incumbency	Position	Primary Vote	Election Vote
  BrewerDavid V. Brewer   A	No		99.34%A	A
  CookNena Cook	No	Position 3	40.05%A	48.24%   A
  BaldwinRichard C. Baldwin   A	No	Position 3	33.42%A	51.02%   A
  SercombeTimothy Sercombe	No	Position 4	26.08%

  2010

  See also: 2010 State Supreme Court elections

  Incumbent Jack Landau faced Allan J. Arlow and was re-elected.

  Oregon Supreme Court 2010 General election results
  Candidates		Votes	Percent
  Jack Landau		n/a	72%
  Allan J. Arlow		n/a	18%

  Incumbent Rives Kistler ran unopposed and was re-elected.

  Oregon Supreme Court 2010 General election results
  Candidates		Votes	Percent
  Rives Kistler		n/a	98.8%

  2008

  See also: State Supreme Court elections, 2008

  Thomas Balmer ran unopposed and was re-elected.

  Oregon Supreme Court 2008 General election results
  Candidates		Votes	Percent
  Thomas Balmer		n/a	n/a

  Martha Lee Walters ran unopposed and was re-elected.

  Oregon Supreme Court 2008 General election results
  Candidates		Votes	Percent
  Martha Lee Walters		n/a	n/a

Appointments

2023

See also: Oregon Supreme Court justice vacancy (February 2023)

Governor Tina Kotek (D) appointed Aruna Masih to the Oregon Supreme Court. Justice Adrienne Nelson resigned after she was elevated to the U.S. District Court of Oregon on February 23, 2023. Masih was Governor Kotek's (D) first nominee to the seven-member supreme court.

In Oregon, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here. If an interim vacancy occurs, the governor appoints a candidate to serve until the following general election. The next primary election was scheduled on May 21, 2024, with a general election scheduled on November 5, 2024. Masih will have the opportunity to run for a full term.

2022

Justice Walters vacancy

See also: Oregon Supreme Court Justice Walters vacancy (December 2022)

Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) appointed Bronson James to the Oregon Supreme Court effective January 1, 2023. James succeeded Justice Martha Walters, who retired on December 31, 2022. Walters' replacement will be Governor Kate Brown's (D) seventh nominee to the seven-member supreme court.

At the time of the vacancy under Oregon law, the governor appointed a replacement. The appointee served until the next general election occurring 60 or more days after the appointment, at which point they could run for election.

Justice Balmer vacancy

See also: Oregon Supreme Court Justice Balmer vacancy (December 2022)

Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D) appointed Stephen K. Bushong to the Oregon Supreme Court effective January 1, 2023. Bushong succeeded Justice Thomas Balmer, who retired on December 31, 2022. Balmer's replacement was Governor Kate Brown's (D) sixth nominee to the seven-member supreme court.

At the time of the vacancy under Oregon law, the governor appointed a replacement. The appointee served until the next general election occurring 60 or more days after the appointment, at which point they could run for election.

2021

See also: Oregon Supreme Court justice vacancy (December 2021)

Governor Kate Brown (D) appointed Roger J. DeHoog to the Oregon Supreme Court on January 19, 2022. DeHoog succeeded Justice Lynn Nakamoto, who retired from the court on December 31, 2021. DeHoog was Gov. Brown's sixth nominee to the seven-member supreme court.

At the time of the appointment, midterm vacancies on the court were filled by gubernatorial appointment.

2018

See also: Oregon Supreme Court justice vacancy (December 2018)

Oregon Supreme Court Justice Rives Kistler retired December 31, 2018. On December 24, 2018, Gov. Kate Brown (D) appointed Judge Chris Garrett to succeed Kistler. Garrett was Brown's fifth nominee to the seven-member supreme court.
Under Oregon law, the governor appoints a replacement in the event of a mid-term vacancy on the state supreme court. Justice Kistler's term was set to expire January 1, 2023. Garrett's appointment was effective January 1, 2019.

Caseloads

The table below details the number of cases filed with the court and the number of opinions issued by the court between 2008 and 2016. As of September 2024, data more recent than 2014 was not available online.

Oregon Supreme Court caseload data
Year	Filings	Opinions issued
2016	813	81
2015	890	58
2014	977	75
2013	953	66
2012	923	64
2011	922	74
2010	*	*
2009	*	*
2008	1,352	75
2007	1,314	73

Analysis

Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters (2021)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters, a study on how state supreme court justices decided the cases that came before them. Our goal was to determine which justices ruled together most often, which frequently dissented, and which courts featured the most unanimous or contentious decisions.

The study tracked the position taken by each state supreme court justice in every case they decided in 2020, then tallied the number of times the justices on the court ruled together. We identified the following types of justices:

• We considered two justices opinion partners if they frequently concurred or dissented together throughout the year.
• We considered justices a dissenting minority if they frequently opposed decisions together as a -1 minority.
• We considered a group of justices a determining majority if they frequently determined cases by a +1 majority throughout the year.
• We considered a justice a lone dissenter if he or she frequently dissented alone in cases throughout the year.

Summary of cases decided in 2020

• Number of justices: 7
• Number of cases: 53
• Percentage of cases with a unanimous ruling: 88.7% (47)
• Justice most often writing the majority opinion: Justice Balmer (10)
• Per curiam decisions: 8
• Concurring opinions: 2
• Justice with most concurring opinions: Justice Duncan (1)
• Dissenting opinions: 6
• Justice with most dissenting opinions: Justice Balmer (2)

For the study's full set of findings in Oregon, click here.

Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship

Last updated: June 15, 2020

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.

The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation, based on a variety of factors. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on the political or ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. To arrive at confidence scores we analyzed each justice's past partisan activity by collecting data on campaign finance, past political positions, party registration history, as well as other factors. The five categories of Confidence Scores were:

• Strong Democrat
• Mild Democrat
• Indeterminate
• Mild Republican
• Strong Republican

We used the Confidence Scores of each justice to develop a Court Balance Score, which attempted to show the balance among justices with Democratic, Republican, and Indeterminate Confidence Scores on a court. Courts with higher positive Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Republican Confidence Scores, while courts with lower negative Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Democratic Confidence Scores. Courts closest to zero either had justices with conflicting partisanship or justices with Indeterminate Confidence Scores.

Oregon had a Court Balance Score of -8.86, indicating Democrat control of the court. In total, the study found that there were 15 states with Democrat-controlled courts, 27 states with Republican-controlled courts, and eight states with Split courts. The map below shows the court balance score of each state.

Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores (2012)

See also: Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores of state supreme court justices, 2012

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns." A score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court of Oregon was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Oregon received a score of -1.00. Based on the justices selected, Oregon was the 3rd most liberal court. The study was based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges, or—in the absence of elections—the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice but rather an academic gauge of various factors.

Ethics

The Oregon Supreme Court building (also home to the Oregon Court of Appeals) in Salem, Oregon

The Oregon Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Oregon. It is composed of six rules:

• Rule 1: Sets forth the "Scope and Application of this Code; Definitions; Fundamental Principles"
• Rule 2: Titled: "Maintaining the Integrity of the Judicial System," describes the role of judges in "Promoting Confidence in the Judiciary," "Avoiding Misuse of the Prestige of Office," and how they may go about "Testifying as a Character Witness."
• Rule 3: Titled: "Impartial and Diligent Performance of Judicial Duties," outlines the responsibilities of judges, including their duty to exhibit "Impartiality and Fairness" to preside with "Decorum, Demeanor and Communication with Jurors," and when judges must disqualify themselves from presiding over a case.
• Rule 4: Describes how a judge may "Minimiz[e] the Risk of Conflict Between a Judge's Activities and the Obligations of Judicial Office"
• Rule 5: Provides instruction on how judges and judicial candidates should "Engag[e] in Political Activity and Judicial Campaign Activity"
• Rule 6: Describes the "Procedure for Advisory Opinions and Consideration of Good Faith Compliance"

The full text of the Oregon Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of judges

Judges in Oregon may be removed in one of two ways:

• By a recommendation of the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability to the Oregon Supreme Court, which may then discipline, retire or remove a judge.
• By a recall election.

Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability

The Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability reviews charges or complaints against judges whose actions are in alleged violation of Article VIII of the Oregon Constitution or the Oregon Code of Judicial Conduct. If the commission files formal charges against the judge, a public hearing is held, after which, the commission submits its findings and recommendation of disciplinary action to the Oregon Supreme Court. The Oregon Supreme Court is the only court in the state which may discipline judges via suspension censure, or removal of the offending judge.

• See also: The complaint process of the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability and the rules of procedure for the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability.

History of the court

The Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon

The Oregon territory became a part of the United States in 1848. The territory encompassed much of present-day Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. A new territorial government was put into operation in 1849. A supreme court, district courts, probate courts, and justices of the peace were provided in the Territorial Act. The supreme court consisted of three justices who were appointed by the U.S. president with consent of the U.S. senate, for four-year terms. The territory was divided into three circuits and the justices were required to ride circuit as district court judges throughout the year, thus hearing cases on appeal where they made the original judgment. Appeals of district court decisions were heard by the territorial supreme court. Appeals from the territorial supreme court were taken to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Oregon's first and only constitution was passed in 1857 and statehood was achieved in 1859; the constitution is still in use today. It vested judicial power in a supreme court, circuit courts, and county courts, and it allowed for justices of the peace and municipal courts. The constitution provided for four justices, elected through partisan elections in districts where they were required to live. Supreme court justice terms were six years. Justices were required to continue to ride circuit in the four districts until the population of the state reached 200,000 (this happened in 1878). The supreme court had appellate jurisdiction over the circuit courts. The constitution authorized the legislature to expand the court to up to seven justices. The court was expanded to five justices and five circuit districts in 1862.

When the circuit court was split off in 1878 and had its own elected justices, the legislature reduced the number of justices on the supreme court from five to three. The legislature also ended the practice of electing supreme court justices by district, instead electing them at-large. In 1909 the legislature increased the number of justices on the supreme court back to five because of the increased workload of the court. In 1910, Oregonians passed the Oregon Measure Nos. 362-363, Three-Fourths Verdicts in Civil Cases Initiative (1910) constitutional amendment. Among other items, the amendment gave the supreme court original jurisdiction in mandamus, habeas corpus, and quo warranto cases, and it modified supreme court judicial review, providing that the supreme court could not review a judgment if there were errors at the trial, if the correct, lawful judgment was nevertheless reached. The amendment also established six-year terms for judges.

In 1913 the legislature expanded the supreme court to seven justices, where it has remained. The legislature authorized justices to hear and decided cases in groups of three, although some cases required the entire court to be present.

In 1913, the supreme court created a board of bar examiners to examine bar applicants. Up to then the justices had administered examinations themselves.

In 1929, the legislature ended at-large elections for the supreme court, numbering each seat, so that candidates would run for a single statewide seat. In 1931, the legislature made all judicial elections nonpartisan. Both of these changes remain in effect today.

In 1981, the legislature centralized administration of the judicial department under the supervision of the chief justice of the state supreme court. It also gave the chief justice authority to appoint presiding judges of trial courts, and the chief judge of the court of appeals.

Courts in Oregon

See also: Courts in Oregon

In Oregon, there is one federal district court, a state supreme court, a court of criminal appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• State court of appeals
• Trial courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Oregon's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Oregon's state court system.

Party control of Oregon state government

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. A state supreme court plays a role in the checks and balances system of a state government.

Oregon has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

External links

• Oregon Supreme Court