Seeing their resolve to impact social issues inspired her to apply to law school. Early returns. Multnomah County is the only county in Oregon with a court for repeat DUII offenders. We spend a lot of emphasis on procedural fairness and access to justice so people feel like they are heard. A lock icon ( ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. After five years in criminal practice, Judge Alexander took a job as in-house litigation counsel with an energy company in Florida. the After one year at the MPD, Judge Baggio returned to the FPDs office where she worked from 2002 to 2013 for then-Federal Public Defender Steve Wax. Judge Alexander's unique perspective - as a criminal prosecutor, in-house counsel, and private practice civil litigator . Our team works with communities across the country to adopt and more effectively implement policies and practices shown to reduce recidivism and improve other youth outcomes. 971-274-0670 . "I'm not wanting to retire anytime soon.". Multnomah Bar Association LSAT Preparation Course Scholarship - Apply Now! Multnomah Bar Association 2023. He had failed to meet some DISP requirements, and Matarazzo could have tossed him in jail. Yet people with juvenile and criminal recordsespecially Black peoplesuffer from an alarmingly high and stubborn unemployment rate. Despite Marquis' assessment, Underhill leads an office that reformers say views some judgesand Matarazzo in particularas too soft on criminals. and They include Judge Josephine Mooney in Lane County, Judge Cameron Wogan in Klamath County, and Judge James Fun in Washington County. A judge, above all, is supposed to be fair and impartial. Each year, millions of people return to their communities from jail or prison. General information: 971.274.0500 Jury service Judges Civil Criminal Family Parking Small Claims Small Estate Traffic OJD Courts ePay, online payment system Waud, 37, who today says he is clean and sober, works at his family's funeral home. All Rights Reserved. chapter In a 40-minute conversation, the county's top prosecutor explained that he planned to ask the court to remove Matarazzo from a case his office was prosecuting. Our team works with communities across the country to provide people with the reentry supports they need. Judge Moawad managed the governors offices response to emergency incidents, including the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College, and the Malheur Wildlife Refuge occupation. The matters are so incredibly personal to people. That was Matarazzo's hope when she went on the bench. research, She remarked that both are customer service roles, and a judges goal is to ensure that lawyers and litigants who leave a courtroom feel that they have been heard and listened to. Brown, although the governor's office denies any connection. Judges for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon and judges from Oregon that have served on other federal courts are also listed. One of the things that Judge Anna Brown has said and that I have taken to heart is that you need to make sure that you take time for yourself. We will treat you with respect. Only share sensitive information on official, secure websites. 1401 NE 68thPl., Portland OR 97213, Open. I tried to explain the rules to the man myself, but he was very upset. in economics from Grinnell College in 1989. As she builds her judicial experience, Judge Moawad considers herself extremely lucky to have inherited Judge Wittmayers excellent staff, Sonja Lockhart and Joe Keenan, who she describes as a dream team. Matarazzo pushed for the DA's office, now located in the courthouse, to be excluded, noting that it and the court represent two independent branches of government that should be separated. Judge Eric Bloch, who ran the DISP court from 2003 to 2006, says he thinks Matarazzo's decisions fell within the parameters of treatment-court best practices and that Underhill's disagreement with her could have been resolved without the affidavit. Waud says he graduated from DISP in January 2014, two years early. Procedural justice is an integral part of every area of the courthouse. In 2019, Governor Kate Brown appointed him to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Court records are maintained by theMultnomah County Circuit Court Records Department. Judge Edward Jones, Multnomah County's chief criminal judge, says he's seen such a blanket affidavit filed only a handful of times in his 40-year legal career. While in Salem, Judge Moawad also broadened her experience with public safety agencies and unexpectedly spent much of her time in that role marshalling the states responses and issuance of conflagration declarations in six consecutive summers of significant wildfires. Eventually, they came to understand that he had likely been confused for Chaman Gul, a known warlord, who was also imprisoned at Guantanamo. It immediately put him more at ease. Judith Matarazzo is one of 38 judges for the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Such sentences sometimes cost people their jobs and their ability to pay for DISP court-ordered treatment. See full Courthouse closure information on their website. Gov. holds Oregon's recent criminal justice reform efforts have focused on reducing incarceration and limiting DAs' power. In two of those cases, the Oregon Court of Appeals found Matarazzo had erred and reversed her rulings. in Judge Alexander felt called to serve because he wants to make a positive difference in the lives of people who come before the court. Our team works with communities across the country to support law enforcement leaders and officers to improve their responses to this growing population. Judge Baggio appreciates and expects civility and preparedness from those who appear before her. People are at a very emotional time in their lives. Despite the success of some treatment programs for people in the criminal justice system, just a fraction of the people who need these services receive them. The first was Hon. These responses are best implemented as part of a larger comprehensive, coordinated system, informed by community crisis data, and led by a diverse group of community stakeholders. From early on, Judge McGuire was aware of the struggles of legal work. Prosecutors and defense attorneys sometimes make such requests. photographer "We've seen a number of DA offices look to wholesale disqualification of a specific judge based on a perceived bias," said the ACLU's Rogers. In his civil litigation practice, Judge Alexander handled everything from complex business litigation to plaintiff-side personal injury cases. They got nowhere. provides 1200 SW 1st Ave for Learn maternal All rights reserved (About Us). St. Circuit court judges in Oregon are normally appointed by the governor of Oregon, and subsequently run for re-election as incumbents, rarely facing opposition. "She is exactly the judge I would want to appear before, as a lawyer or as a party," the governor said. Multnomah Bar Association 2023. Complaints that Matarazzo improperly granted extensions to defendants in the DUII diversion program, which allows first-time offenders to avoid a conviction on their record. Matarazzo wondered what Underhill wanted. Multnomah County voters chose Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian Brown in a competitive circuit court race in which she garnered 57% of the vote over opponent Rima Ghandour. She worked the federal class-action civil rights suit that uncovered the Portland Police Bureaus pattern of using excessive and unconstitutional force against people with mental illness. Its been a long, competitive run for Brown, as six lawyers originally vied for the seat in the May primary. Its a positive thing to do. There is no voicemail on this department's phone line. Multnomah County Courthouse Underhill's office could lift the blanket affidavit at any time. She has been a judge for over two years, is the ninth African American to serve as a judge in Oregon and is the fourth African American woman judge when she was appointed by Governor Brown. In March, she was under consideration for a vacancy on the state's top judicial panel, the Oregon Supreme Court. Brown has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Oregon for 13 years, with a focus on civil rights enforcement. The next day, Underhill's office delivered a 16-page memo alleging a decade of wrong decisions and improper behavior on her part. Now, Matarazzo, 58, was seeking the support of her fellow judges to become the presiding judge for Multnomah County. Anybody who is walking on the sidewalk, anyone who is in the bike laneis at considerable risk," Deputy District Attorney Mike Botthof said in court at the time, arguing for a harsher punishment. over Meet our team of more than 100 dedicated staff, See the state and local officials that guide our work, Get to know the funders who support our work, Browse our library of original research and analysis. On three occasions, private lawyers have filed single-case affidavits against Matarazzo, but that's a pretty standard number for any circuit judge. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. However, to describe Judge Moawad simply as a prosecutor-turned judge would vastly understate the diversity and richness of experience that she brings to the bench. Judge Waller has since taken her increased awareness of the challenges that people with mental health needs face in the criminal justice system and used it to help inform decisions intended to improve peoples outcomes. Judge Baggio went to Lewis & Clark Law School for its environmental law program. John Kitzhaber to District 4, Position 12. In the spring, she'd applied for one of two openings on the bench of the Oregon Supreme Court. Across the country, communities are struggling to address the high number of people with mental health needs cycling through the criminal justice system each year. -- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee. I realized that we needed to build up our menu of what is available for people in the community and use the right level of support, she said. All Rights Reserved. video, If a case has been postponed (set-over) and the new date is known, that date will be displayed in the "Additional Information" column. Kevin Neely, who lobbies for the Oregon District Attorneys Association, says the practice is fair because both defense attorneys and prosecutors can affidavit judgesand it falls well within a DA's legal prerogatives. The Multnomah County Circuit Court's DUII Intensive Supervision Program aims to divert repeat offenders into drug or alcohol treatment rather than locking them up. This feature is the second in a series under the Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative. Reentry 2030 is a national initiative "That's the balance that's in the court system," Neely says. an a Prior Telephone hours are8:30-10:30 am&1:30-4:30 pm. People will come into her courtroom need in an immediate danger order. Underhill's June memo, however, lists a decade's worth of minutely detailed grievances. As a member of the bench, Judge Alexander knows that he is in a privileged position to give back to the community and contribute to ongoing efforts to make the justice system more accessible and effective for all the people it serves. Justice Adrienne Nelson Appointed to the US District Court of Oregon. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Personal tragedy struck her friend, and four months later the focus for Patricia changed from helping to taking over a law business. When District Attorney Mike Schrunk retired in 2012 after three decades as the county's top prosecutor, he anointed as his successor the lanky Underhill, a keen cyclist who had spent his entire career in the DA's office and whose experience with criminal justice is personalhis younger brother is a convicted meth dealer. (how to identify a Oregon.gov website) That year, lawmakers approved modest reductions in mandatory sentencing. "We are seeing some shift that's happening at the Legislature," says the ACLU's Rogers. an However, by the time she graduated law school, her focus had shifted: a clerkship at the Federal Public Defenders (FPDs) office in Portland allowed her to watch amazing lawyers and staff work tirelessly in their representation of indigent criminal defendants. They can't state that any DA in the state is doing anything or operating in any way other than in accordance with the law.". When she turned 18, she aged out of the foster care system and prepared her own adoption papers to formally have her foster parents adopt her. And after 11 years on the bench, Matarazzo was also hoping for a major step up. Awareness Matarazzo is not the only judge who's feeling prosecutors' wrath. "Our criminal justice system is set up to give outsized power to district attorneys," says Bobbin Singh, executive director of the left-leaning Oregon Justice Resource Center. Patricia practiced at the firm for about 10 years, becoming a partner after six. He says he's become a different person. And, while she had the opportunity to be involved in high profile cases, such as the Malheur occupation trial where she represented Joseph OShaughnessy, Judge Baggio talks most passionately about the individuals who overcame experiences of abuse, neglect, and addiction to become inspirations to everyone whose lives they touch. Elections for the Multnomah County Circuit Court (Oregons fourth judicial district) were unusually dynamic. True to her Oregon nature, she did not enjoy the daily 75-degree days and she returned to Portland looking for her next career. One of her clients, who she represented along with Assistant Federal Public Defender Ruben L. Iniquez, was Nazar Chaman Gul, imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay Prison since 2003. Nobody on the panel vetting the Supreme Court candidates or in the governor's office could have missed it. Network, In the column at the far right, contact information for the subpoena clerk in the unit handling the case is shown. McGuire practiced family law with Andrew Bobzien at Bobzien McGuire from 2007 until 2013 and partnered with Loren Thompson at McGuire Thompson from 2013 until she was appointed to the bench in 2017. Arts Judge Alexanders unique perspective - as a criminal prosecutor, in-house counsel, and private practice civil litigator - affords him the opportunity to make a daily impact on those who appear in his courtroom. Elizabeth I needed something more.". Online Services and Resources She's very down to earth.". In addition to divorces and custody disputes, she handled several challenging restraining order cases. Judge Nan Waller has served in the Multnomah County, Oregon, circuit court system for 30 years. Justice Adrienne Nelson Appointed to the US District Court of Oregon. Its not a job where you can just go through the motions - it takes dedication, long hours, and a drive to help others. "He's been more willing than others to look at alternative justice programs that some of us have been more leery of," Marquis says. Multnomah County voters chose Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian Brown in a competitive circuit court race in which she garnered 57% of the vote over opponent Rima Ghandour. "I was a walking hurricane," he says. Telephone customer service available. His experience runs the gamut from trusts and estates to employment matters, contract disputes and intellectual property issues. Judges must be able to be straightforward with their role. "She's completely biased against the state and crime victims," says Norm Frink, Schrunk's longtime top deputy before retiring in 2012. Judge McGuire acknowledges the momentous nature of her appointment. The second year has concluded. For over 100 years, the Multnomah Bar Association (MBA) has provided a forum for lawyers to gather together for collegiality, to improve the justice system, to provide law-related community service and to access services and benefits that strengthen professionalism, satisfaction and success. When someone says you cannot be fair and impartial, for a judge, that strikes the essence of what it means to be a judge. Shortly after 4 pm on June 6, Circuit Judge Judith Matarazzo received an unusual visitor at her office in the Multnomah County Courthouse. photography I have the ability to bring that perspective to my work. "If they blow it, they can go to prison.". Kate Brown (D) appointed Dahlin to the bench in August 2016. child An hour earlier, District Attorney Rod Underhill had called to request a meeting. As a child, Brown recalled witnessing her single mother struggle to raise her and her sister on her own. Waud says DISP saved his life and allowed him to rebuild a relationship with his daughter. That bold step marks another salvo in a larger battle raging between Oregon prosecutors and criminal justice reform advocates. Deescalating his emotions was crucial for me, and I brought him into our office next to the trial court administrator. Its my job to explain how the process works, explain what my role is, and find out what they need and how to help with their problems. Call ahead if you plan to visit at 503-988-3475. for project media The Multnomah County Circuit Court, which composes the 4th Judicial District of the Oregon Circuit Court system, is the general jurisdiction trial court of Multnomah County, Oregon. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. The 17-story building spans 450,000 square feet building, and cost $324 million. health. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. But when she became the presiding judge of the mental health court and competency dockets in 2018, she quickly realized the need to expand her understanding of the mental health care opportunities and challenges for people in the criminal justice system. "Two days before the memo came out, our informal poll had me at 20 to 17," Matarazzo says. In 2009, while Schrunk was still district attorney, his office affidavited Marilyn Litzenberger, another Multnomah County circuit judge with very public views on judicial independence, and refused to allow her to hear any felony cases brought by the state. You cant fix every problem. Attend a free virtual webinar, training, or event. [4], Courts.Oregon.gov Multnomah County Circuit Court, 4th Judicial District. the [3] SRG Partnership was the lead architect, and Hoffman Construction Company lead contractor, both Portland based. This hard work under extreme circumstances exposed her to the variety of social, political, and economic challenges that are confronted by Oregonians across the state. "If our statistics show us that the rate of recidivism is substantially less in a court-supervised program, I'm probably pretty pragmatic and going to give them a shot," she says. The county assessor valued it at $40 million, but estimated necessary upgrades for earthquake resistance at $70 million. It's a philosophical disagreement over what role judges should play, who should be behind bars and for how longand how the vast sums of money allocated to public safety should be spent. Additionally, she hopes to play a role in improving how the court system works with other system partners to provide the best outcomes to our community. MFA in Oden-Orr Law August 30, 2013. Youve got to think long term. She continued to represent a wide variety of clients, and she remained committed to not only to defending her clients against criminal charges but continuing to advocate for them in such a way as to provide support should they be ready to move beyond their pasts and on to more stable lives. When she practiced, about 75 percent were self-represented. joining Judge Moawad is a Stage III breast cancer survivor, a challenge that gives her unparalleled knowledge about what it takes to appear in court as an advocate in the face of adversity. Square feet building, and Matarazzo could have tossed him in jail some shift 's. To provide people with the reentry supports they need bold step marks another salvo in a series under judges... Him into our office next to the US District Court of Appeals found Matarazzo had erred and reversed her.. For one of 38 judges for the subpoena clerk in the Court system, '' says! Office denies any connection able to be fair and impartial from DISP in January 2014, two years.! The US District Court of Oregon trial Court administrator their jobs and their ability to bring that perspective my! Youve safely connected to the.gov website this site Underhill leads an office that reformers say some! 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Marks another salvo in a series under the judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative fairness and to... Part of every area of the Oregon Court of Appeals found Matarazzo erred. To pay for DISP court-ordered treatment retire anytime soon. `` above all, is supposed to be straightforward their! To employment matters, contract disputes and intellectual property issues delivered a 16-page memo alleging a decade of wrong and... Must be able to be straightforward with their role to apply to law school for its law.

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