Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2020
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The terms of three Oregon Supreme Court justices—Thomas Balmer, Chris Garrett, and Martha Walters—expired on January 4, 2021. The three seats were up for nonpartisan election on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for May 19, 2020. In Oregon, nonpartisan candidates in a contested primary win outright if they receive over 50 percent of the vote in the primary.
Incumbent Balmer and Van Pounds ran in the primary for Position 1, the only contested primary on the state supreme court in 2020. Balmer received 70.8 percent of the vote to Pounds' 28.7 percent. Write-in candidates received 0.4 percent of the vote.[1] Since Balmer received over 50 percent of the vote, he won re-election outright.
Balmer had been on the state supreme court since 2001 when he was appointed by Governor John Kitzhaber (D). He was re-elected in 2002, 2008, and 2014, running unopposed in each race. Balmer served as chief justice from 2012 to 2018. He was endorsed by The Oregonian, the Bend Bulletin, and the Eugene Weekly editorial boards.[2][3][4]
At the time of the primary, Pounds worked in the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services. He ran for a seat on the Oregon Supreme Court in 2018 against Justice Meagan A. Flynn. Pounds was recommended by the Oregon Right to Life PAC and endorsed by the Taxpayer Association of Oregon.[5][6]
Incumbents Garrett and Walters were also running for re-election. Both were unopposed.
The Oregon Constitution establishes nonpartisan election as the mode of selection for state court justices. In the event of vacancies, justices are appointed by the governor. As of November 2020, all seven justices on the state supreme court had been appointed by Democratic governors.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Oregon did not modify any procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and results
Position 1
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 | ||
| 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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Position 4
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 | ||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Chris Garrett advanced from the special primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 4.
Position 7
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 | ||
| 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
Position 1
This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[7] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office: Oregon Supreme Court (Assumed office: 2001)
Biography: Balmer received his J.D. from the University of Chicago in 1977. He worked in the private sector at five law firms between 1977 and 2001 and taught at Lewis and Clark College. Balmer worked as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1979 to 1980 and as Oregon's deputy attorney general from 1993 to 1997. He served as Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from 2012 to 2018.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Oregon Supreme Court Position 1 in 2020.
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Pounds received a master of laws in dispute resolution and a J.D. from the University of Missouri at Columbia. He worked as an attorney with the Missouri Department of Revenue and the City of Cape Girardeau. In Oregon, Pounds worked as a policy analyst and and chief of enforcement and securities at the Department of Business and Consumer Services.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Oregon Supreme Court Position 1 in 2020.
Endorsements
This section lists endorsements issued in this election. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.
| Supeme Court Seat 1 primary endorsements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Balmer | Pounds | ||||
| Newspapers and editorials | ||||||
| Bend Bulletin[3] | ✔ | |||||
| Eugene Weekly[4] | ✔ | |||||
| The Oregonian[2] | ✔ | |||||
| Organizations | ||||||
| Taxpayer Association of Oregon[5] | ✔ | |||||
Past elections
2018
- See also: Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2018
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 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Rebecca Duncan (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 521,465 |
| Total votes: 521,465 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Position 3
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 3
Incumbent Meagan A. Flynn won election outright against Van Pounds in the primary for Oregon Supreme Court Position 3 on May 15, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Meagan A. Flynn (Nonpartisan) | 73.5 | 498,925 |
| Van Pounds (Nonpartisan) | 26.5 | 179,629 | |
| Total votes: 678,554 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Position 5
General election
General election for Oregon Supreme Court Position 5
Incumbent Adrienne Nelson won election in the general election for Oregon Supreme Court Position 5 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Adrienne Nelson (Nonpartisan) | 98.2 | 1,059,178 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.8 | 19,514 | ||
| 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. | ||||
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2016
November 8 election results
May 17 election results
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About the Oregon Supreme Court
- See also: Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who are elected in nonpartisan elections by voters. A full term on the court is six years. Oregon's nonpartisan judicial elections take place during its primary and general elections, both held every two years in even-numbered years.
Political composition
This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2020 election.
| ■ Thomas Balmer | Appointed by Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) in 2001 | |
| ■ Rebecca Duncan | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2017 | |
| ■ Meagan A. Flynn | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2017 | |
| ■ Chris Garrett | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2018 | |
| ■ Lynn Nakamoto | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2016 | |
| ■ Adrienne Nelson | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2018 | |
| ■ Martha Walters | Appointed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) in 2006 |
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Oregon
Judges in Oregon participate in nonpartisan elections in even-numbered years.[8]
All judicial races require a primary election except those to fill a midterm vacancy for a seat that would otherwise not have appeared on the ballot that year. In the case of such a midterm vacancy, the primary may be skipped if only one or two candidates file for that office. If there are three or more candidates running for that seat, however, they compete in the primary.
If a candidate in the primary election for a seat with a routine term ending receives more than 50 percent of the vote, he or she is elected. If not, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election.[9]
If a candidate in the primary for a seat filled by a midterm appointment receives over 50 percent of the vote in the primary, that candidate's name appears unopposed on the general election ballot. If no candidate receives a majority, then the top two candidates advance to the general election.[9]
Oregon votes entirely by mail. Registered voters receive their ballots two to three weeks prior to the election. They must submit their ballots by mail or by dropping them into an official drop box. The deadline by which ballots must be received is 8 p.m. on the day of the election.[10]
Qualifications
Justices on the Oregon Supreme Court serve terms of six years.[11] The mandatory retirement age in Oregon is 75.[12] To be a qualified candidate to the court, a candidate must be a United States citizen, a resident of Oregon for at least three years before the election or appointment, and admitted to practice law in the Oregon Supreme Court.[13]
Removal of justices
A judge may be removed if convicted of a felony or a "crime involving moral turpitude" or for misconduct in office, a failure to perform the duties of the bench, incompetence, violation of a rule of judicial conduct, or drunkenness or abuse of drugs.[12]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Primary Election May 19, 2020," accessed May 20, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Oregonian, "Editorial endorsement: Voters should re-elect Thomas Balmer, Joel DeVore to Supreme Court, Appeals Court seats," May 3, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bend Bulletin, "Editorial: Vote Tom Balmer for Oregon Supreme Court," April 29, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 [www.eugeneweekldy.com/2020/05/14/slant-125/ Eugene Weekly, "Slant," May 14, 2020]
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Facebook, "Kathy Hathaway," May 4, 2020
- ↑ Oregon Right to Life PAC, "2020 Primary Election Voter Guide," accessed May 15, 2020
- ↑ Candidate Connection surveys completed before September 26, 2019, were not used to generate candidate profiles. In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Election Law Summary," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Oregon Legislature, "Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 249," accessed May 13, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Voting in Oregon," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Judicial Department, "Oregon Supreme Court," accessed August 19, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Oregon State Legislature, "Oregon Constitution, 2015 Edition," accessed May 13, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Courts, "An Introduction to the Courts of Oregon," accessed May 13, 2016
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
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