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. Judge McGuire recalls presenting her papers to Judge Elizabeth Welch, who sent her back home to make corrections. 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. I had never met Judge McGuire before then, but immediately I knew she was an amazing asset to the bench. Her focus was on being a general litigator and she worked on construction, anti-trust, employment, RICO, contract, and First Amendment licensing. These efforts help lead to recovery and provide pathways to healing. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. General information: 971.274.0500 Jury service Judges Civil Criminal Family Parking Small Claims Small Estate Traffic OJD Courts ePay, online payment system Former Supreme Court Justice Robert "Skip" Durham says Matarazzo would have made a strong addition to the court. He strives to give litigants a fair chance to be heard, treat them with dignity and see their humanity. The previous building, a century-old courthouse, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Columbia All Rights Reserved. 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. People are often scared, understandably, and if they dont have an idea of what to expect, I think its harder for them, she said. Multnomah Bar Association LSAT Preparation Course Scholarship - Apply Now! As a child, Brown recalled witnessing her single mother struggle to raise her and her sister on her own. As a family law judge, Judge McGuire oversees some estate and probate cases, and with her personal experience taking over a firm, she reminds lawyers to plan for the possibility that we could become incapacitated and unable to practice. 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. She describes civil law as fascinating and looks forward to being assigned more civil trials and motions in the future. The Honorable Amy Baggio: Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge The Honorable Amy Baggio: Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Newton, Court Liaison Committee Thursday, January 16, 2020 In March 2019, Governor Kate Brown appointed Amy M. Baggio to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. They got nowhere. Thats when she set out to visit each of the mental health programs available to the people who come before her in court, totaling eight locations. Meanwhile, Underhill's office says no prosecutors spoke to The Oregonian for the story. The DA's conclusion: "The State cannot receive a fair and impartial trial or hearing before Judge Matarazzo in any criminal or civil matter.". For information regarding Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) , please visit Oregon State Legislature website. A number of judges across the state have had similar blanket affidavits filed against them recently by district attorneys, according to the ACLU of Oregon. 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, who appointed Torres in spring as a family law judge in Multnomah County Circuit Court, called her smart, funny, fair and fearless. writing, Brown won the seat vacated by retired Judge Greg Silver, who was appointed in 2013 by Gov. Telephone customer service available. "She's an excellent judge," Durham says, "and an excellent student of the law.". View more information about UTCRs and SLRs. She won election to the bench in 2006 after 20 years of trying civil cases in private practice. . She says she was merely ratifying a decision another judge had already made. His experience runs the gamut from trusts and estates to employment matters, contract disputes and intellectual property issues. After this initial glimpse into politics and policymaking, Judge Moawad returned to her former role and went on to handle nearly every type of criminal case, including the prosecution of significant child sex abuse cases. Your browser is out-of-date! At her investiture, her former colleagues spoke about her tenacious drive to protect the public and to pursue justice. They are involved in custody battles and divorces. It has known security flaws and may not display all features of this and other websites. Seeing their resolve to impact social issues inspired her to apply to law school. And 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., Profile photo caption: Courtesy of Honorable Nan Waller, judge for the Multnomah County circuit court in Portland, OR, Hero image: Photo byToa HeftibaonUnsplash, After authorizing $10.6 million to help people with behavioral health issues get, START NOW is a skills-based, manual-guided group psychotherapy program that was developed, Apply to participate in a virtual learning collaborative consisting of three sessions, The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation have partnered to highlight, With unanimous consent, the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act of 2022, On December 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package for Fiscal Year 2023., The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and the American Psychiatric, With unanimous consent, the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Justice and Mental, On December 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed a $1.7 trillion omnibus, In 2021, the Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative (JPLI) established two awards, 22 Cortlandt St 22nd FloorNew York, NY 10007. Corrections agencies are grappling with a unique combination of public safety challenges, including stubborn rates of recidivism and high costs. Limited liability companies ("LLC") can be managed by members or appointed managers. "They use that discretion not to charge people or to bring lower charges than they could bring. 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. for "I don't think the DA's office belongs there," she says. Despite Marquis' assessment, Underhill leads an office that reformers say views some judgesand Matarazzo in particularas too soft on criminals. But in Matarazzo's case, Underhill went nuclear. All Rights Reserved. In other words, an affidavited judge is guilty until proven innocent. After law school she joined the Metropolitan Public Defenders (MPD) office in Portland. 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. Learn how, An official website of the State of Oregon, An official website of the State of Oregon , Sign-up For Text Message Hearing Notifications, Apply To Become a Pro Tem and/or Reference Judge, Southern Oregon Facilitation Initiative (SOFI), Behavioral Health/Justice System Leadership, Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability, Court Calendars and Live Stream Proceedings, Misdemeanor Procedures from Arraignment to Trial, Transfer of Misdemeanor Cases Between Central Courthouse and East County Courthouse (ECC). "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. She attributes working with her partners as being effective at showing her how to be a lawyer and practice law. Multnomah Bar Association LSAT Preparation Course Scholarship - Apply Now! Ensuring peoples safe and successful transition from incarceration to the community is challenging and highly complex. All Rights Reserved. "She probably should have been affidavited years ago.". However, she remarked that her current role has given her newfound appreciation for the work that goes into quickly making decisions in a way that will keep a trial running efficiently. an Assessment and Referral Center |503-988-3081, Multnomah County Justice Reinvestment Program (MCJRP), Assessment & Evaluation residential program, Court and Community Supervision Services, Victim and Survivor Services (503-988-7606). The judges and staff of the Multnomah County Circuit Court make the following pledge to each litigant, defendant, victim, witness, juror and person involved in a court proceeding: We will listen to you. Affidavits work differently from the justice system, in which the accused is innocent until proven guilty. 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. The man started crying out of frustration and fear, but he was still angry, too. That is in adherence to the law. Justice Adrienne Nelson Appointed to the US District Court of Oregon. It helps them with the rulings of the court. She currently serves on the board of Lincoln Youth Football. to to She has a lot of compassion. That kind of blanket rejection is extremely rare. York an Judge Alexander has spent many hours giving back to the community: as a board member of the Classroom Law Project, a mock trial coach at Jefferson High School and as a volunteer for local nonprofits. 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. She must walk the line of helping solve their problems, providing all the available options, but not giving legal advice. Matarazzo says she did so because the proceedings were merely procedural and Underhill's office had been briefed on the expected nature of the proceedings. She served for seven years as a military lawyer, working as trial counsel and defending Air Force personnel. Senior Program Associate, Behavioral Health, Elizabeth fine "Anytime someone is faced with their own mortality [her second battle with cancer], it changes the way you see things. People will come into her courtroom need in an immediate danger order. She and other DISP judges repeatedly asked legislators to relax the law for defendants in treatment court. 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. In 2013, the pendulum swung toward reformers in Oregona bit. They are very stressed out. "I needed a change . Judith Matarazzo is the presiding judge of the Court, serving with 37 others. 971-274-0670 . If a case has been postponed (set-over) and the new date is known, that date will be displayed in the "Additional Information" column. (how to identify a Oregon.gov website) Kate Brown. Across the country, many Republicanseven the Koch brothersare locking arms with liberal reformers to reduce incarceration. Matarazzo's disagreements with prosecutors extend beyond opinions about incarceration and sentencing. 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. Waud, 37, who today says he is clean and sober, works at his family's funeral home. Our team works with states and local communities to improve responses for people with mental health needs in the criminal justice system. "Two days before the memo came out, our informal poll had me at 20 to 17," Matarazzo says. 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. 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. University. Judith Matarazzo is one of 38 judges for the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Matarazzo tried to suspend, break up or offer alternatives to the sentences so that someone who had racked up a third DUII could still avoid jail and get treatment. But while her candidacy was pending, Matarazzo allowed a nine-time DUII offender to enter DISP. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. She was a finalist, but didn't get chosen by Gov. When someone says you cannot be fair and impartial, for a judge, that strikes the essence of what it means to be a judge. Of 14 Multnomah County judicial positions that were up for a vote this May or November, this is the only one that was contested. "People are recognizing more and more the power and influence that DAs have.". 495 NE Beech Ave., Gresham OR 97030, Open. She took over Department 11 for retiring Judge Kenneth Walker. Iniguez and Baggio were then appointed to represent Gul in his case filed in the DC District Court. I told the man that a judge who handled restraining orders was on her way. Elections for the Multnomah County Circuit Court (Oregons fourth judicial district) were unusually dynamic. The courthouse includes orientation and deliberation rooms for jurors and grand jurors; Multnomah County Probation Intake offices; Sheriff offices for courthouse security; facilities for the transport of in-custody defendants; and the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office. "I was a walking hurricane," he says. Prior management That court gives judges greater discretion than any other specialty court to determine which offenders are fit to enter DISP to receive treatment rather than jail time. 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. She started clerking at Davis Wright Tremaine after her first year, returned after her 2L year, and received a job offer following graduation. People come into court one way and then they may leave another. I was so completely absorbed. Judge Nan Waller has served in the Multnomah County, Oregon, circuit court system for 30 years. Brown, although the governor's office denies any connection. He says Underhill's action sends a message to all judges. Thursday, March 12, 2020. Our team works collaboratively with jurisdictions to understand the experiences and effects of victimization, increase access to victim services, and improve systemic responses through restitution and victim compensation programs. And after 11 years on the bench, Matarazzo was also hoping for a major step up. Brown later joined the U.S. Air Force, which allowed her to secure a college education. MA 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. "It's like a Taylor Swift song," says professor John Parry of Lewis & Clark Law School. All rights reserved (About Us). An official website of the State of Oregon . She says she did so because she believes an offender will either successfully complete the requirements with the extension or will end up with a conviction. 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