Welcome to the MBA Courts Page

Judicial Profiles

Multnomah County Judges, Oregon Appellate Court Judges and Oregon Supreme Court Justices with available profiles.

Proposed Reduction Plan for Oregon Judicial Department

On March 26, the Fiscal Services Manager for the State Court Administrator's Office issued a budget reduction plan for the Oregon Judicial Department. The effects of the proposed budget reductions are reported in 5% increments, up to 30% for the 2009-2011 biennium.

Oregon Courthouse Facilities Update

The 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 Interim Committee met for the last time on January 7. The committee’s outside 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 DeMuniz provided testimony to the committee, as did MBA President Michael Dwyer.

The committee’s final report will be issued by late January and it will: adopt the consultant’s prioritization report, recommendations for continuing discussion of a permanent governance board for ongoing facility operations, maintenance and capital improvements and mention of Multnomah County Courthouse issues. As more information becomes available, we will include it here.

Multnomah County Courthouse Information

A complete list of Multnomah County 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.

Contact Information

Courtrooms and phone numbers for Multnomah County Circuit Court Judges.

2008 Civil Jury Practices Report Available

The Multnomah County Presiding Court Task Force on Civil Jury Trial Practices has 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.

New Filing Fee Schedule

The legislature passed a filing fee schedule in 2008. An explanation of the fee increases may be found here.

UTCR Changes

UTCR changes took effect August 1.

Mediation Commission Formed

A Mediation Commission, chaired by Judge Kristena LaMar, has been formed. The commission's charge is to design application forms for qualified mediators, design rules to evaluate qualifications of applicants, and recommend to the Presiding Judge applicants who have met the requirements. A list of approved applicants will be made available to the public.

Multnomah County Jury Verdicts

Clicking the following links will open a PDF file

Oregon Judicial Department

Area Bar Associations

More Resources