Oregon Supreme Court Justice Walters vacancy (December 2022)
| Oregon Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Walters vacancy |
| Date: December 31, 2022 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Bronson James |
| Date: December 28, 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.[1] 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.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Oregon Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2022.
The appointee
- See also: Bronson James
Before he was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court, Bronson James was a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals and a circuit court judge in Multnomah County. James received his bachelor's degree from Reed College in 1994 and his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2003.[2]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Ballotpedia will post information on candidates and prospective appointees as information becomes available. If you know of information that should be included here, please email us.
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Oregon
At the time of the vacancy, midterm vacancies were filled by the governor. The appointee would serve until the next general election occurring 60 or more days after the appointment, at which point he or she could run for election.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Oregon Supreme Court
Justices
Following Walters' retirement, the Oregon Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Rebecca Duncan | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2017 | |
| ■ Chris Garrett | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2018 | |
| ■ Meagan A. Flynn | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2017 | |
| ■ Roger J. DeHoog | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2022 | |
| ■ Adrienne Nelson | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2018 |
About the court
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.[3]
About Justice Walters
- See also: Martha Walters
Justice Walters joined the Oregon Supreme Court in 2006. She was appointed to the court by Governor Ted Kulongoski (D).
Walters was elected by her peers as chief justice on July 2, 2018, to succeed Chief Justice Thomas Balmer, becoming first woman to preside over the state's highest court.[4]
Walters received a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1972 and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1977.[5] Prior to joining the Oregon Supreme Court, she worked as an attorney with Walters Romm Chanti & Dickens, P.C. from 1985 to 2006 and with Harrang, Swanson, Long & Wilkinson, P.C. from 1977 to 1985.[5] She was a former member of the Federal Bar Association, and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.[5]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2022
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2022
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2022. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ State of Oregon Judicial Department, "Oregon’s Supreme Court Chief Justice announces retirement," October 18, 2022
- ↑ Oregon State Courts, "Biography - Justice Bronson D. James," accessed January 24, 2023
- ↑ Oregon Judicial Branch, "Oregon Supreme Court," accessed September 1, 2021
- ↑ The Lewiston Tribune, "Walters sworn in as first woman chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court," July 6, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Oregon Judicial Department, "Biography - Chief Justice Martha L. Walters," accessed November 2, 2022
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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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