Elections for the Multnomah County Circuit Court (Oregons fourth judicial district) were unusually dynamic. Judith Matarazzo is the presiding judge of the Court, serving with 37 others. In the spring, she'd applied for one of two openings on the bench of the Oregon Supreme Court. "I would hope that before the DA pushes that button," Bloch says, "there would be a clear track record that the DA tried to communicate with the judge about these concerns and that those concerns are rising to a level where the DA's office is concerned about the judge's ability to be fair to the state.". It has known security flaws and may not display all features of this and other websites. The Improving Peoples Access to Community-Based Treatment, Supports, and Services grant program is expected to address a shortage of supports and services in local communities, from supportive housing to crisis stabilization units to medication and care coordination. We will treat you with respect. Network, How you know The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation have partnered to highlight leaders working to address mental health needs among people in the criminal justice system through innovative practices and programs. 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. 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. in Shes done this in her role as a sitting judge, but also in her participation in committees and task forces at the state and national level. Patricia practiced at the firm for about 10 years, becoming a partner after six. 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. The government gains no benefit from failing to abide by our constitutional guarantees; to the contrary, when the government fails to follow its own laws, it sends a message to the citizenry that they need not respect the law either. As a child, Brown recalled witnessing her single mother struggle to raise her and her sister on her own. While a student at Lewis & Clark Law School, Lucero demonstrated a profound commitment to creating a more diverse and equitable legal community by tutoring fellow minority law students and serving on the admissions committee . In March 2019, Governor Kate Brown appointed Amy M. Baggio to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. I don't destroy things. She started clerking at Davis Wright Tremaine after her first year, returned after her 2L year, and received a job offer following graduation. fine As most of us know, complex litigation rarely has opportunities for court and Patricia McGuire really wanted to go to court. If this happens and decisions are reached even if not in their favor, they feel it was a fair decision. Shortly after 4 pm on June 6, Circuit Judge Judith Matarazzo received an unusual visitor at her office in the Multnomah County Courthouse. Kate Brown. One night, as he slept in a house belonging to a man rumored to be in cahoots with the Taliban, Gul was swept up by US soldiers under the cover of darkness and taken to Guantanamo via the Bagram Air Base. He strives to give litigants a fair chance to be heard, treat them with dignity and see their humanity. But the DA's office was committed to following the law to the letter. We work with corrections administrators in all 50 states to help develop comprehensive plans to combat those challenges. 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. More Newsroom Stories Summer 2023 Courses Now Available Multnomah Bar Association 2023. "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. "It's like a Taylor Swift song," says professor John Parry of Lewis & Clark Law School. In two of those cases, the Oregon Court of Appeals found Matarazzo had erred and reversed her rulings. Underhill ran unopposed in 2012 and 2016. Its been a long, competitive run for Brown, as six lawyers originally vied for the seat in the May primary. This look-up tool connects you with Parole-Probation Officers (PPOs) for individuals under supervision with the Adult Services Division. 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. We spend a lot of emphasis on procedural fairness and access to justice so people feel like they are heard. Adrienne Nelson; and the third was Hon. "She made me feel like I was a personand not just a case number, a person in the system, a criminal, an addict and an alcoholic.". 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. She won election to the bench in 2006 after 20 years of trying civil cases in private practice. With her appointment, Judge Moawad returned to the same courthouse where she worked for the first decade-plus of her career as a Multnomah County prosecutor. Waud, 37, who today says he is clean and sober, works at his family's funeral home. 971-274-0670 . "She's an excellent judge," Durham says, "and an excellent student of the law.". She and other DISP judges repeatedly asked legislators to relax the law for defendants in treatment court. York Our team works with communities across the U.S. to promote and bring models of success to scale. Seeing their resolve to impact social issues inspired her to apply to law school. Brown raised roughly $226,000 and Ghandour approximately $175,000, according to the most recent campaign finance records available. In 2007, the government allowed Mr. Gul to leave Guantanamo. Underhill denies he was trying to send a message. 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. Afterwards, Baggios co-counsel Iniguez told the press, Every single, minor detail he told us was corroborated. Multnomah County Department of Community Justice Family Court Services toggle Menu 503-988-3189 TTY Relay Service: 711 Direct services to parents and others include: Intake Services the From early on, Judge McGuire was aware of the struggles of legal work. Detention visitation is limited. Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Heidi Moawad took the bench in April 2019. And shortly after Underhill announced the impending memo removing her from all criminal cases, she lost the vote for Multnomah County presiding judge to her colleague Stephen Bushong. Justice Adrienne Nelson Appointed to the US District Court of Oregon. A judge, above all, is supposed to be fair and impartial. 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. 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. Multnomah County Courthouse - 1200 SW First Avenue, Portland, OR 97204 . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. University. 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. Deputy district attorneys met with Matarazzo in 2015, and Underhill sent her a letter to express their concerns that she had been holding hearings without a prosecutor present, which they said violated judicial ethics. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the UnitedStates. Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Heidi Moawad took the bench in April 2019. She has a lot of compassion. Louis; "My perception of most judges is, they are somewhat conflict averse," she says. Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Patrick W. Henry Contact Information Courtroom: 14-B Office: 14200 Judicial Assistant: Mary Jane B. Simpson Judicial Clerk: Judicial Directory Phone: 971-274-0688 Judge Henry also sits at the Juvenile Justice Center two months each year. 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. "People are recognizing more and more the power and influence that DAs have.". Looking back, Judge Moawad says her work waiting tables between her time at Whittier College and beginning to attend law school at University of Oregon Law informs her in her current role presiding over cases. Columbia Work is like a firehose; you cant manage everything. He first met Judge Judith Matarazzo a few weeks after he entered the program. An official website of the State of Oregon . It's not just Rodthere are a handful of judges who have been affidavited around the state. "I was a walking hurricane," he says. Division. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. and Brown later joined the U.S. Air Force, which allowed her to secure a college education. I am truly thankful she was there when we needed her. Our team works with states and local communities to develop cross-system solutions that help connect people in the justice system with the permanent housing and the supportive services they need. Youve got to think long term. She is inspired by the cards and letters she receives from former clients who have found the strength and courage to overcome some of lifes most seemingly insurmountable obstacles. From 2013 until her appointment to the bench, Judge Moawad served as the Governors Public Safety Policy Advisor, providing continuity in the role when Governor Brown assumed office. "Two days before the memo came out, our informal poll had me at 20 to 17," Matarazzo says. She went beyond, engaging with her clients and their families to achieve a result that allowed them the opportunity to address underlying issues that led to their involvement in the criminal justice system. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. an While juvenile incarceration rates have dropped dramatically over the past decade, most juvenile justice systems are not operating as effectively as possible. Im hoping that as a country we begin to look at how do we create community? and good solutions for people who are struggling and vulnerable. was Setting off on her next career, McGuire attended Lewis & Clark Law School, graduating in 1995. Email mul.records@ojd.state.or.us Records for other counties Oregon State Courts Criminal histories or background check information And after 11 years on the bench, Matarazzo was also hoping for a major step up. 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. Eventually, they came to understand that he had likely been confused for Chaman Gul, a known warlord, who was also imprisoned at Guantanamo. Im so hopeful that we are in a moment in time where people are beginning to recognize the importance of mental health initiatives, she said. There, she began to develop her particular style and approach to criminal law practice. 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