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Stephen K. Bushong
2023 - Present
2031
2
Stephen K. Bushong is a judge for Position 1 of the Oregon Supreme Court. He assumed office on January 1, 2023. His current term ends on January 6, 2031.
Bushong ran for re-election for the Position 1 judge of the Oregon Supreme Court. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Gov. Kate Brown (D) appointed Bushong to the Oregon Supreme Court on December 28, 2022, to replace Thomas Balmer.[1] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Biography
Stephen Bushong earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1980 and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1984. His career experience includes working as a judicial clerk for United States Magistrate Marc L. Goldman; as an attorney in several law firms; as an assistant attorney general, attorney-in-charge, and chief trial counsel for the Oregon Department of Justice; and as a judge for the Multnomah County Circuit Court.[2]
Elections
2024
See also: Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2024
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 | ||
| 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.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Bushong in this election.
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Multnomah County, Oregon (2020)
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 21
Incumbent Stephen K. Bushong won election outright in the primary for Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 21 on May 19, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Stephen K. Bushong (Nonpartisan) | 99.1 | 153,939 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.9 | 1,415 | ||
| Total votes: 155,354 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2014
See also: Oregon judicial elections, 2014
Bushong ran for re-election to the Oregon Circuit Court, 4th Judicial District.
Primary: He was elected without opposition in the primary on May 20, 2014.
[3][4]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Stephen K. Bushong did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Stephen K. Bushong did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Appointments
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.[5] 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.
State supreme court judicial selection in Oregon
- See also: Judicial selection in Oregon
The seven justices on the Oregon Supreme Court are selected through nonpartisan elections.[6] Judges' terms begin on the first Monday in January following their election.[7]
Judges serve six-year terms. Judges seeking to serve more than one term must stand for re-election.[6]
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.[6]
Chief justice
The chief justice is selected by peer vote and serves in that capacity for a six-year term.
Vacancies
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.[6] The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
|
Candidate Oregon Supreme Court Position 1 |
Officeholder Oregon Supreme Court Position 1 |
Footnotes
- ↑ State of Oregon Newsroom, "Governor Kate Brown Appoints Judges to Oregon Supreme Court, Oregon Court of Appeals, and Multnomah County Circuit Court," December 28, 2022
- ↑ Oregon State Bar, "Judicial Questionnaire," accessed April 14, 2015
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Candidates for 2014 Primary Election," accessed April 14, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Unofficial Election Results," May 20, 2014
- ↑ State of Oregon Judicial Department, "Oregon Supreme Court Justice Thomas Balmer Announces Retirement," October 3, 2022
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Oregon," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Oregon State Legislature, "Oregon Constitution," accessed August 29, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Balmer |
Oregon Supreme Court Position 1 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Oregon 4th Judicial District Circuit Courts Position 21 2008-2023 |
Succeeded by - |
| ||||||||||
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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