| Press Release |
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| December 19, 2008 |
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Governor announces Multnomah County Circuit Court vacancies
Three judges to retire from Multnomah County circuit bench
(Salem) – Due to the recently announced retirements of Judge Dale Koch and Judge Marshall Amiton, and the previously announced retirement of Judge Frank Bearden, Governor Ted Kulongoski today announced he is accepting applications for three vacancies in the Multnomah County Circuit Court.
The Governor thanked Judge Koch and Judge Amiton for their many years of service to Multnomah County and said he will fill the positions by appointment. Both Judges' retirements will take effect on February 1, 2009.
Judge Bearden previously announced his retirement effective January 1, 2009. The deadline for applications to fill Judge Bearden's position was previously set for December 22. The Governor stated he would extend that deadline and set the deadline for submitting applications for all three judicial vacancies on January 12, 2009.
Anyone interested in the positions must submit an Interest Form for Judicial Appointments to the Governor's office by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, January 12, 2009. Interested applicants should mail or deliver their forms to: Kelly Skye, General Counsel, Office of the Governor, 900 Court Street NE, Salem, OR 97301-4047.
Governor Kulongoski fills judicial vacancies based on merit. He encourages applications from lawyers with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. The Governor's Office will ask the Multnomah Bar Association's Judicial Screening Committee to assist with the review process. The MBA may require the completion of an additional form in order to facilitate the review process. Applicants should consult the MBA's webpage (www.mbabar.org) for more information.
ORS 3.041 and 3.050 provide that at the time of appointment to the court, the candidate must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Oregon and a member of the Oregon State Bar. ORS 3.041(2) further states: "[e]ach judge of the circuit court shall be a resident of or have a principal office in the judicial district for which the judge is elected or appointed, except that in any judicial district having a population of 500,000 or more, according to the latest federal decennial census, any judge of the circuit court may reside within 10 miles of the boundary of the judicial district." Multnomah County has a population in excess of 500,000. ORS 3.041(5) provides the required length of time for the residency requirements.
Questions about the appointment process or to request an interest form, should be directed to Mary Hamilton at 503-378-6246. The Interest Form for Judicial Appointments is also available online at http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/boards.shtml#judicial.
Contact:
Anna Richter Taylor, 503-378-6169
Jillian Schoene, 503-378-5040
Rem Nivens, 503-378-6496
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