Judicial candidates offer contrasts.Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard Three candidates for an open seat on the Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. present voters a study in contrast. State Court of Appeals Judge Virginia Linder Virginia Linder is an American judge from Oregon who has served, since January 2007, as the 99th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. She previously served since 1997 on the Oregon Court of Appeals. , for example, would be the only woman on the high court if elected. In 8 1/2 years on the appeals court, Linder says she has helped resolve 6,000 appeals cases and has authored more than 250 opinions. A large number of lawyers around the state supported her with their votes in the state bar association's preference poll, where she finished first among the three candidates with 1,639 votes - more than half of all votes cast. They also expressed their support with generally small individual contributions to her campaign, which totaled almost $67,000 in the first reporting period and had a balance of $17,000 in early April. Pendleton lawyer William "Gene" Hallman says his 30 years of experience representing workers and small businesses in Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is a geographical term that is generally taken to mean the area of the state of Oregon east of the Cascade Range, save the region around The Dalles and sometimes Klamath County. The area around Bend is considered to be Central Oregon rather than Eastern Oregon. would bring the high court "the perspective of real people and real businesses." In the first reporting period, he raised the largest campaign fund in the race - $187,000 - from a large number of personal injury lawyers, agricultural interests and a few labor groups. He also is endorsed by a range of law enforcement groups. His campaign balance was $114,000 in early April. Hallman placed second in the state bar poll with 1,273 votes. Eugene resident, lawyer and politician Jack Roberts Jack Roberts (September 27, 1910 - October 1981) was an American football running back in the NFL for the Boston Redskins, Staten Island Stapletons, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played college football at the University of Georgia. is running as the nontraditional candidate. Roberts hasn't practiced law since the late 1980s, when he became a Lane County commissioner, then commissioner of the state Bureau of Labor and Industries, then director of the Lane Metro Partnership, a Lane County organization that seeks to foster business expansions. Roberts says the high court needs members who understand the impact of the court's decisions on people and institutions that are not parties to any particular case. In his experience leading government agencies, Roberts says he has continuously dealt with such legal matters over the years. In the first reporting period, Roberts raised $54,000 - mainly from timber and wood products companies. His campaign balance was $49,000 in early April. Roberts got 317 votes in the statewide bar association poll. Candidates for a seat on the Supreme Court must follow the judicial code of conduct, which bans them from making statements about proposed legislation or about other candidates or issues that may undermine public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary. Consequently, judicial races focus on the legal qualifications and temperament of candidates. Linder says her lifelong career in law for the public, first in the Oregon attorney general's office and then in the appeals court, gives her an edge in that department. But she emphasizes that diversity on the bench is essential in the court's decisions on which cases to hear, and to ensure that the court views each case in a broad range of light brought by the experiences of individual justices. She said that several studies conclude the best way to improve the quality of justice experienced by minorities is to include more minorities in the justice system. Linder says she will contribute to the high court's current focus on speeding up its process by drawing on her experience handling a high volume of cases in her appeals court career and in her former work supervising appeals for the attorney general. Hallman and Roberts both believe an outsider's perspective would better serve to balance the court's discussions. As one who lives on 40 acres of Eastern Oregon, Hallman says he might give a higher priority to appeals on such matters as water rights than justices who are not familiar with the implications of such cases for rural residents. "It's a question of different outlooks, different viewpoints," he says. Hallman says the court also needs a justice with trial experience to help evaluate cases. "The (high) court is getting farther and father away from having judges with trial experience," he says. He says his three decades of experience range from criminal matters to civil trials over discrimination, workplace safety, sexual harassment sexual harassment, in law, verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature, aimed at a particular person or group of people, especially in the workplace or in academic or other institutional settings, that is actionable, as in tort or under equal-opportunity statutes. and disability issues. Hallman also is committed to speeding up the appeals process and says his experience in solo practice solo practice Medical practice by a single physician–a solo practioner, usually understood to mean a nonspecialist. See Private practice; Cf Group practice. has taught him to be efficient. No single justice rules on a case. Instead, all seven meet to share their views and try to reach a consensus. As one example of where he might have made a difference were he on the court, Roberts cites a recent decision regarding the legality of permits for roadside billboards on private property. The court was faced with exempting all landowners from the regulations, or requiring all to comply. By exempting all - thus leaving it to the Legislature to possibly reinstate regulations - the high court potentially gave landowners a subsequent claim for loss under Measure 37 should the Legislature decide to reinstate billboard limits, he says. While Roberts says he could not have single-handedly changed the decision if he'd been on the court, he says he certainly would have argued the point because of the real-world impact. Oregon Supreme Court justices serve six-year terms. In contested races, the candidate who gets a majority in the May primary wins the office. If no candidate gets a majority, the top two vote-getters from May appear on the November ballot. In either case, the winner takes office in January. The current opening results from the retirement of Chief Justice Wallace Carson. Annual salary for the office is $105,200. VIRGINIA LINDER Personal: Age 53, female partner for 19 years, no children Education: Southern Oregon This article is about the southern region of the U.S. state of Oregon. For the University, see Southern Oregon University. Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. State College, B.A. political science, 1975; Willamette University College of Law Willamette University College of Law is a private law school located in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1842, Willamette University is the oldest university in the Western United States. , J.D., 1980. Work experience: Oregon Court of Appeals The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Except for death penalty cases, which are reserved to the Oregon Supreme Court, and tax court cases, it has jurisdiction to hear all civil and criminal appeals from circuit courts, judge; solicitor general An officer of the U.S. Justice Department who represents the federal government in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. The solicitor general is charged with representing the Executive Branch of the U.S. government in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. , appellate division In several jurisdictions, the Appellate Division is the name of a court, or division of a court, that hears appeals from lower courts.
Civic experience: Numerous state bar committees, emphasis on women and minorities; Oregon Women Lawyers; former adjunct professor of law at University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. and Willamette University Willamette’s College of Liberal Arts is the undergraduate school on campus. The oldest of the graduate programs is the College of Law, founded in 1883 and located in the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center. . More information: www.osbar.org; www.judgevirginia linder.com WILLIAM "GENE" HALLMAN Personal: Age 57, married, six children Education: Portland State University, B.S., 1971; Willamette University College of Law, J.D., 1974. Work experience: Private practice since 1975, representing clients in personal injury, wrongful death The taking of the life of an individual resulting from the willful or negligent act of another person or persons. If a person is killed because of the wrongful conduct of a person or persons, the decedent's heirs and other beneficiaries may file a wrongful death action , small business, commercial disputes, tribal law, estates. Civic experience: Gov. John Kitzhaber's Committee on Tax Reform; commissioner, Oregon Liquor Control Commission The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) is an agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. The OLCC was created by an act of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1933 as a means of providing control over the distribution, sales and consumption of alcoholic beverages. ; past president, National Alcohol Beverage Control Association The National Alcohol Beverage Control Association [NABCA] was established in 1937 as the nationwide organization representing the interests of alcoholic beverage control states or monopoly sale states in the United States. ; Pendleton River Parkway Foundation; Pendleton Arts Council An arts council is a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing events at home and abroad. . More information: www.osbar.org; www.hallmanforsupreme court.com JACK ROBERTS Personal: Age 53, married, three sons Education: University of Oregon, B.S., Journalism, 1975; UO School of Law, J.D., 1978; New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. , master's in taxation, 1980. Work experience: Executive director, Lane Metro Partnership; commissioner of Bureau of Labor & Industries, 1995-2003; Lane County commissioner, 1989-1994. Civic experience: Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, Child Advocacy Child advocacy refers to a range of individuals, professionals and advocacy organizations who promote the optimal development of children. An individual or organization engaging in advocacy typically seeks to protect children’s rights which may be abridged or abused in a Center of Lane County, Intergovernmental Government Housing Policy Board, Lane Council of Governments, Metropolitan Policy Committee, Lane County Commission for Children and Families. More information: www.osbar.org; www.jackrobertsfor supremecourt.com |
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