Table of Contents
Oregon State Bar House of Delegates to Meet in November
This year, the annual meeting of the House of Delegates (HOD) will be on Friday, November 2, 2018, at the Oregon State Bar Center located at 16037 SW Upper Boones Ferry Road, Tigard, OR 97281.
Oregon State Bar members were invited to submit resolutions to include on the HOD agenda. HOD members submitted a question or measure for the agenda by delivering a copy of the full text of the item to be presented, including a description of any financial impact, to the Executive Director at least 45 days in advance of the meeting. A Bar member who is not a delegate may submit a resolution by a petition signed by at least 2 percent of all active members.
In mid-October, the Board of Governors will host HOD regional meetings throughout the state. This is an opportunity for OSB members to review the proposed resolutions and ask questions. The HOD agenda will be distributed on October 12, 2018, and regional meetings will be scheduled October 16 to 18, 2018.
For more information on the House of Delegates, please visit https://www.osbar.org/leadership/hod.
Get Involved. How to Support Bar Priorities
Do you support a well-funded court system? Is adequate funding for legal aid and indigent defense important to you? Is access to the court system a priority?
If you answered yes to any of these questions and are interested in advocating for the Bar’s legislative priorities, consider participating in the Oregon State Bar’s legislative outreach program.
To sign up, go to https://publicaffairs.osbar.org/grassroots-advocacy-for-court-funding.
Thomas Balmer steps down as Chief Justice
This summer, Justice Thomas Balmer ended his tenure as the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Justice Balmer was the 43rd chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and served in that role for six years, from 2012 to 2018. In this role he was also the administrative head of the unified court system. Justice Balmer continues to serve on the court.
During his tenure as chief justice, the Oregon Judicial Department moved forward on a number of legislative proposals. Under Chief Justice Balmer’s leadership, the department completed the statewide implementation of Oregon eCourt, continued much-needed courthouse maintenance and replacement projects including the replacement of the Multnomah County Courthouse, and successfully advocated for sufficient funding from the legislature to increase judicial compensation and the number of judges within both the circuit courts and the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Justice Balmer was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court by Governor Kulongoski in 2001. Prior to joining the judicial branch, Justice Balmer practiced in Boston and Washington DC and was a partner at Ater Wynne in Portland.
Thank you to Justice Balmer for his service as the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.
For information on current Chief Justice Martha Lee Walters, read the July 2, 2018, issue of the Capitol Insider.
Archives
Thank you for reading the Oregon State Bar’s CAPITOL INSIDER.
The archives are available here.
2018 Public Affairs Committee Members
Kathleen Rastetter, Chair
Whitney Boise, Vice Chair
Rob Gratchner
John Bachofner
Eric Foster
Liani Reeves
Michael Rondeau
Public Affairs Department
Susan Grabe, Public Affairs Director
Amy Zubko, Public Affairs Legislative Attorney
Matt Shields, Public Affairs Staff Attorney
Kellie Baumann, Public Affairs Assistant