Multnomah County sees 4 competitive judicial races
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Multnomah County voters will weigh in on an unusually active judicial ballot this May with four highly contested races shaping the local bench.
The big picture: Three experienced judges are stepping down, opening key Circuit Court seats and drawing a crowded field of 14 candidates.
- Meanwhile, a fourth race emerged late. Appellate public defender Peter Klym filed to challenge sitting Judge Adrian Brown just 30 minutes before the deadline.
- Brown has been publicly feuding with District Attorney Nathan Vasquez over her case load.
- Eight incumbent judges on the ballot face no opposition.
Zoom in: A deep bench of candidates — with backgrounds spanning public defense, prosecution and private practice — are competing for the three open seats. Positions are nonpartisan.
Position 2
- Chris Behre is an attorney with Metropolitan Public Defender since 2013.
- Anit Jindal is a partner at civil law firm Markowitz Herbold.
- Diane S. Sykes runs her own civil rights law firm.
- Laura Maurer Rowan works at the Department of Justice.
- Juliet Britton is a law professor at the University of Oregon and a Beaverton Municipal Court judge.
Position 5
- Joanna T. Perini-Abbott is a professor at Lewis & Clark and litigator at Angeli & Calfo.
- John Casalino serves as a senior assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice.
Position 14
- Kevin Spence is a private practice probate attorney.
- Michael Lee works in the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.
- Elizabeth Savage runs her own civil litigation firm.
- Bradford Gerke is a divorce attorney.
- Joe Hagedorn has served as a judge in Multnomah County family court.
- Heidi Brown is a Portland chief deputy city attorney.
- Kristine Almquist is a sitting judicial officer in Multnomah County.
Follow the money: As of February, all Oregon judges earn $209,160 annually, per the Oregonian.
What we're watching: Candidates must win more than 50% of the vote in May to avoid a November runoff.
- A crowded field may raise those odds.