InOregon, there is one federal district court, a state supreme court, a court of criminal appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• State court of appeals
• Trial courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Oregon's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Oregon's state court system.

Judicial selection process

See also:Judicial selection in Oregon andOregon judicial elections

Selection of state court judges in Oregon occurs exclusively throughnonpartisan elections. Judges must run for re-election at the end of their terms if they wish to remain on the court.^[1]

Federal courts

Thefederal district court in Oregon is theUnited States District Court for the District of Oregon.

Appeals go to theU.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

Active judges

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 6
• Republican appointed: 1

Judicial selection

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by thepresident of the United States and confirmed by theUnited States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, clickhere.

Bankruptcy courts

There is onefederal bankruptcy court in Oregon. This court has subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy court in Oregon is:

• United States bankruptcy court, District of Oregon

State supreme court

See also:Oregon Supreme Court

Founded in 1859, theOregon Supreme Court is the state'scourt of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court isMeagan A. Flynn.

As of September 2023, all seven judges on the court were appointed by a Democratic governor.

The Oregon Supreme Court meets in the Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon.^[2]

The Oregon supreme court is the highest court in the state. The Oregon Supreme Court has discretionary jurisdiction to review decisions from theOregon Court of Appeals. The court also "hears direct appeals in death penalty, lawyer and judicial discipline, and Oregon Tax Court cases," "may accept original jurisdiction inmandamus,quo warranto, andhabeas corpus proceedings," and "reviews ballot measure titles, prison siting disputes, reapportionment of legislative districts and legal questions on Oregon law referred by federal courts."^[3]

The table below lists the current judges of theOregon Supreme Court and the appointing governor.

State court of appeals

See also:Oregon Court of Appeals

TheOregon Court of Appeals is the intermediateappellate court inOregon. The court hears all civil and criminal appeals from thecircuit courts and also has jurisdiction to review some state administrative agency actions. The court does not have jurisdiction to hear death penalty cases, which is reserved for theOregon Supreme Court, or tax court appeals, which is reserved for theOregon Tax Court.^[4]

The 13 judges of the court are selected by voters in statewidenonpartisan elections to six-year terms. The administrative head of the court is thechief judge who is appointed by thechief justice of theOregon Supreme Court.^[4]

The following judges sit on the court:

Trial courts

Circuit court

See also:Oregon Circuit Courts

TheOregon Circuit Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction inOregon. Each ofOregon's 36counties has a circuit court, and there are 137 judges between the 27 judicial districts.^[5][1]

Tax court

See also:Oregon Tax Court

TheOregon Tax Court has jurisdiction over cases involving tax appeals, local budget laws, and property tax limitations. The tax court has two divisions: The Magistrate Division and the Regular Division.^[6]

County courts

See also:Oregon County Courts

TheOregon County Courts have jurisdiction over juvenile and probate matters.^[7]

Justice courts

See also:Oregon Justice Courts

The justice courts have jurisdiction in their own counties over all criminal prosecutions except felony trials; small claims up to $10,000; and traffic, boating, wildlife, and other violations occurring within the county.^[8]

Municipal courts

See also:Oregon Municipal Courts

The municipal courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the circuit and justice courts over violations and misdemeanors in the city in which the court is located.^[9]

To read more about judicial elections in Oregon,click here.

In other states

See also

• Judicial selection in Oregon
• Oregon judicial elections

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Oregon Supreme Court
• Oregon Judicial Branch

Footnotes

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