Meet some of the former judges and attorneys who made history while protecting people's rights and liberties and ensuring access to justice.
1800s
Supreme Judge Ira Babcock: Early settlers in Oregon Country, needing to resolve the estate of a wealthy settler, appointed him as the first Supreme Judge in 1841 — 18 years before Oregon became a state in 1859.
Silas B. Smith: In 1876, he became the first Native American in Oregon admitted to practice law. He also was a founding member of the Oregon Historical Society. He was a prominent historian in the region, playing a key role in recording the traditions, religions, and customs of the Clatsop people in 19th-century Oregon. His grandfather, Clatsop Chief Coboway, had hosted the Lewis & Clark exhibition at Fort Clatsop.
Mary Leonard: She became the first woman admitted to practice law in Oregon in 1885. After she was previously denied admission, the legislature passed a bill stating that “women shall be admitted to the practice of law as attorneys, in the courts of this State, upon the same terms and conditions as men.”
1900s-1940s
McCants Stewart: In 1903, he became the first Black member of the Oregon Bar Association. In 1906, when a Black man sued the Star Theater of Portland for being denied seating due to his race, Stewart argued before the court that the government should ensure the rights of Black people and combat discrimination. The Oregon Supreme Court agreed and ruled in his favor.
Fern Hobbs: Admitted to the state bar in 1913, she was private secretary for Gov. Oswald West from 1911-15. He sent her to Washington, D.C., in 1913, where she successfully negotiated with federal officials to settle land swaps and other matters delayed in Congress. She went on to volunteer with the Red Cross in Paris during World War I.
Beatrice Morrow Cannady: In 1922, she became the first Black woman to graduate from Portland’s Northwestern College of Law. She went on to earn national recognition for her civil rights activism. She successfully advocated for Black children who were denied admittance to Oregon schools.
Minoru Yasui: In 1939, he became the first Japanese American member of the Oregon bar. He challenged the constitutionality of the curfew imposed on Japanese American citizens during World War II. The trial court found him guilty and stripped him of his citizenship. In
Yasui v. United States (1943), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that citizens’ rights could be overridden during wartime if they are a “military threat.”
1950s-1970s
Judge Alfred Goodwin: He served as a judge for more than 60 years and is one of only two judges in the nation to have been a trial judge and appellate judge at both the state and federal levels. He served in the Lane County Circuit Court in the 1950s and was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court in 1960. In 1969, he became a judge on the U.S. District Court in Oregon, and later served 20 years on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Mercedes Deiz: She became the first Afro-Latina lawyer in Oregon in 1960. In 1970, she became Oregon’s first Black woman appointed as a district court judge, and in 1972, she was the first Black woman elected to be a judge in Oregon. She served as a judge for 22 years, always giving generously of her free time to mentor young lawyers of color.
Judge Jean Lewis: In 1961, she became the first woman circuit court judge in Oregon, serving on the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Also in 1961, she was the first woman elected president pro tem of the Oregon Senate. The election was unanimous, an indicator of how admired she was.
Judge Aaron Brown: Previously an attorney in private practice, he became Oregon’s first Black judge in 1969 when he was appointed to the Multnomah County District Court.
1980s-1990s
Justice Betty Roberts: In 1983, she became the first woman on the Oregon Supreme Court. She also was the first woman on the Oregon Court of Appeals. She had a long career in both Oregon law and politics, also serving in both chambers of the Oregon legislature. She was a co-founder of Oregon Women Lawyers and she performed Oregon's first legal same-sex marriage ceremony in 2004.
Judge Janice Wilson: She became the first LGBTQ+ judge in Oregon when appointed to the Oregon District Court in 1991. She was a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge for 20 years.
Judge Ancer Haggerty: In 1994, he became the first Black man to be appointed to the U.S. District Court for Oregon. He was the chief judge of the court from 2002-09. He also was the first Black person to become a partner in a major Portland law firm. Before his appointment to the U.S. District Court, he served as a judge in Multnomah County, where he was known for his fairness and knowledge of the law.
Chief Justice Wallace Carson: He served as Chief Justice from 1991-2005, leading important efforts to collect statewide data to improve courts and expand access to justice. He also werved on the Oregon House Representatives and the Oregon Senate. During his time on the legislature, he helped to pass Oregon's bottle bill and greenway bill.
Chief Justice Edwin Peterson: He served on the Oregon Supreme Court from 1983-93, and as chief justice from 1983-91 — the first chief with central administrative authority over the statewide court system. He guided the unification of Oregon’s courts and oversaw efforts to create a more consistent, equitable, and fair system of justice in the state.
2000s-2020s
Chief Justice Paul DeMuniz: After 10 years serving on the Oregon Court of Appeals, he became the first Latino on the Oregon Supreme Court in 2000. In 2006, he became the first Latino chief justice. As chief justice, he focused on strengthening the Oregon judiciary, obtaining adequate funding for the courts from the legislature, and making court services more accessible to the public.
Justice Rives Kistler: In 2003, he became the first openly LGBTQ+ person appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court. He served for 15 years and was known for his willingness to undertake meticulous reasoning in legally complex cases. Since his appointment to the Supreme Court, three openly LGBTQ+ justices have served in Oregon.
Justice Lynn Nakamoto: In 2011, she became the first Asian American to serve on the Oregon Court of Appeals and, in 2015, the first Asian American on the Oregon Supreme Court. She was a founding member of the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association and the Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association presents an annual award named in her honor.
Chief Justice Thomas Balmer: During his time as chief justice from 2012-18, he created a Supreme Court council on inclusion and fairness and oversaw a major seismic upgrade and historic preservation project for the Oregon Supreme Court building.
Chief Justice Martha Walters: As chief justice from 2018-22, she stewarded the courts through the COVID pandemic, which included rapid expansion of remote proceedings that are still used today to help increase court appearances and access to justice across the state. She was Oregon's first woman to be chief justice.
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Sources:
Oregon State Bar Bulletin and
Story Wall,
Oregon Encyclopedia. Silas Smith photo: Mary Leonard photo: Courtesy Oregon Hist. Soc. Research Lib., 024439. Beatrice Morrow Cannady photo: Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Lib., bb002116. Alfred Goodwin photo: Courtesy Oregon Hist. Soc. Research Lib., Wong Studio, 018282. Mercedes Deiz photo: Courtesy Oregon Hist. Soc. Research Library. Betty Roberts photo: Courtesy Oregon Historical Society Research Library, SR11146. Ancer Haggerty photo: Courtesy U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society. Wallace Carson photo: Courtesy of Oregon State Capitol Foundation. Edwin Peterson and Paul DeMuniz photos: Courtesy Willamette University.