Welcome to the MBA Courts Page

ORCP Changes Effective January, 2012

At its December 11, 2010, meeting, after consideration of public comment and deliberation, the Council on Court Procedures voted to promulgate amendments to ORCP 9, 21, 36, 38, 43, 54, 69, and 71. During its biennial session, the Oregon Legislature did not repeal or amend the Council's promulgations, and they became effective on January 1, 2012. The Legislature made one additional amendment to ORCP 7 which became effective June 17.

Multnomah County Circuit Court Judges

Court page with judicial contacts and other information.

Multnomah County Courthouse Access Card IDs

Information about and the form for new and renewal "expedited access" card applications is available at the link below:
http://www.mcso.us/public/court_access.htm.

MCSO Notice Regarding Inmate Phone Access

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office is updating its records for jail access. Attorneys who have telephone access to their clients may receive a letter from MCSO requesting an updated list of those authorized in their firm to use their jail telephone access code. If you have any questions please contact Liz Daily at 503.988.3852.

Family Court Services Custody/Parenting Time Evaluation Referral Criteria

The criteria have changed.

Chief Justice De Muniz's State of the Courts Speech

On January 7, 2011, the Chief Justice spoke to the Salem City Club about the state of Oregon courts.

Speedy Justice For Civil Cases in Multnomah County

Multnomah County Circuit Court is offering an expedited track for civil jury trials, effective immediately. Multnomah County Circuit Court is one of the pilot courts in Oregon implementing the new program. For more information, see the media release, program description, expedited civil jury trial motion, expedited civil jury trial order and outline of what to expect at the first case management conference of an expedited case.

Supplementary Local Rules

The 2011 Fourth Judicial District rules took effect February 1.

An Historical Retrospective of U.S. Supreme Court Decisions

The Philadelphia Bar Association published an article, "The 10 Worst Supreme Court Decisions" that we found interesting and thought you would too.
Copyright 2010, Philadelphia Bar Association. Used with permission.

OSB Task Force Studies Fee Structure and Court Funding

The OSB commissioned a task force to advise the legislative Interim Committee on Justice System revenues, with regard to statutory fee structure and court funding. The June, 2010 report contains short-term recommendations.

Judicial Activism? What is it?

The MBA found the article at this link quite interesting, and thought our members might, too. This article by Judge Jack Landau appeared in the July, 2010 issue of the OSB Bulletin and is linked to by permission.

Multnomah County Circuit Court Chosen as a Site for National Study on Civil Litigant Needs

A UC Davis study, funded by the National Science Foundation and the ABA, will assess legal services for civil litigants.

Oregon Judicial Department

• Court Opinions Updated weekly with the opinions of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Tax Court.
• Oregon Courts An introduction to and history of Oregon's trial and appellate courts.
• Multnomah County Circuit Court Web site.
  

The Vanishing Civil Jury Trial in Multnomah County

A committee appointed by Presiding Judge Jean Kerr Maurer examined the reasons behind the decline of civil jury trials in Multnomah County. The November 6, 2009 report includes raw data, a summary and recommendations.

Oregon Courthouse Facilities Update

The 2008 Oregon Legislative Interim Committee on Court Facilities contracted with outside consultants to study courthouse facilities around the state. The report covers 48 facilities around the state; the consultants shared details on their methodology for their facilities prioritization reports. Risk of harm and funding effectiveness (highest risk/lowest cost) were the guiding principles. The consultants were to figure out if there were high-risk and small-cost projects with the direction that it would be better to mitigate more lower-costs projects than spend millions on one. The Multnomah County Courthouse, with an estimated replacement cost of $209 million, ranked last in the prioritization list of 48 courthouse facilities. Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz provided testimony to the committee, as did (former) MBA President Michael Dwyer.

Multnomah County Courthouse Facility Information

Courthouse reports, studies, testimony and photos.

Online Tips from the Bench

Tips from the Bench, one of the most popular columns in the Multnomah Lawyer, is available online.

2008 Civil Jury Practices Report Available

The Multnomah County Presiding Court Task Force on Civil Jury Trial Practices released a report that identifies practices for civil jury trials likely to increase juror comprehension and satisfaction and improve trial efficiencies. You may download a color or black and white version of the report (both are .pdf files). If you have comments or questions about the report, please send us an email.

Multnomah County Jury Verdicts

Clicking the following links will open a PDF file