Oregon Supreme Court Justice Balmer vacancy (December 2022)
| Oregon Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Balmer vacancy |
| Date: December 31, 2022 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Stephen K. Bushong |
| Date: December 28, 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.[1] 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.
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: Stephen K. Bushong
Before his appointment to the Oregon Supreme Court, Stephen Bushong was a judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court. From 2005 to 2008, he was chief trial counsel for the Oregon Department of Justice. From 1998 to 2005, he was the attorney-in-charge for the Oregon Department of Justice's Special Litigation Unit.[2]
Bushong earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1980. He received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1984.[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 Balmer's retirement, the Oregon Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Rebecca Duncan | Appointed by Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2017 | |
| ■ Martha Walters | Appointed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) in 2006 | |
| ■ 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 Balmer
- See also: Thomas Balmer
Justice Balmer joined the Oregon Supreme Court in 2001. He was appointed to the court by Governor John Kitzhaber (D).
Before serving on the state supreme court, Balmer worked as an attorney in private practice from 1997 to 2001, 1980 to 1993, and 1977 to 1979. He worked as a deputy attorney general with the Oregon Attorney General's office from 1993 to 1997 and as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division from 1979 to 1980.[2]
Balmer received a B.A. from Oberlin College in 1974 and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1977.[4]
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 Supreme Court Justice Thomas Balmer Announces Retirement," October 3, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Oregon State Bar, "Judicial Questionnaire," accessed April 14, 2015 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Oregon Judicial Branch, "Oregon Supreme Court," accessed September 1, 2021
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Thomas Balmer's Biography," accessed July 7, 2021
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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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