I write to express my opinions on the upcoming Lane County Circuit Court judge election on May 19. First, get out and vote. It’s equally important to exercise your right to vote when the candidates are local as when they are state or federal candidates. 

Second, contested elections for judges are important. Oregon decided that all state judges, from circuit courts to the Oregon Supreme Court, should be selected by democratic vote. But oftentimes a position for a judgeship opens midterm. Therefore, we have a procedure to allow the governor to appoint judges until the next election. This should be the exception to democratically elected judges, but most retire early, leaving a new judge to be appointed. The appointed judges then run as incumbents.

The benefit of being an incumbent is widely known. But in the context of a county circuit court judge, it creates some unique problems. A local lawyer, running against a sitting judge, risks being unable to appear before that judge if they lose the election, as they will have a potential conflict of interest. This impacts a lawyer’s ability to adequately represent clients and requires them to recuse themselves from cases before the judge they ran against. 

And since most judges are appointed through this patronage system, those judges may be hostile to attorneys who challenge the system. I believe such attorneys may even receive pre-election pressure to withdraw their candidacy, creating a situation where all judges might be prejudiced against a challenger to this system. This is contrary to our democratic principles. 

Finally, I write to support my longtime colleague Katina Saint Marie, who is running for Lane County Circuit Court judge. She has the education, experience and demeanor to serve Lane County. She is also courageous to run against a sitting incumbent judge appointed by the governor. 

Whoever your choice for circuit court judge, please get out and vote. 

Judson M. Carusone
Eugene