United States District Court for the District of Oregon

District of Oregon
Ninth Circuit
Judgeships
Posts: 6
Judges: 6
Vacancies: 0
Judges
Chief: Michael McShane
Active judges: Amy Baggio, Karin J. Immergut, Mustafa Kasubhai, Michael McShane, Adrienne Nelson, Michael H. Simon Senior judges: Ann Aiken, Anna Brown, Ancer Haggerty, Robert E. Jones, Malcolm Marsh, Michael Mosman

The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is one of 94 United States district courts. The district operates out of courthouses in Portland, Eugene, Medford, and Pendleton, Oregon. The district court was created in 1859, when the state was admitted to the union. Appeals are submitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit based in downtown San Francisco at the James R. Browning Federal Courthouse. Initial appeals are heard by the Ninth Circuit at the Pioneer Federal Courthouse in Portland, Oregon.

Vacancies

See also: Current federal judicial vacancies

There are no current vacancies on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon, out of the court's six judicial positions.

Pending nominations

There are no pending nominees for this court.

Active judges

Article III judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Michael H. Simon	Barack Obama (D)	June 22, 2011 -	University of California, Los Angeles, 1978	Harvard Law School, 1981
Michael McShane	Barack Obama (D)	May 30, 2013 -	Gonzaga University, 1983	Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College, 1988
Karin J. Immergut	Donald Trump (R)	August 5, 2019 -	Amherst College, 1982	University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1987
Adrienne Nelson	Joe Biden (D)	February 23, 2023 -	University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, 1990	University of Texas, Austin School of Law, 1993
Amy Baggio	Joe Biden (D)	August 22, 2024 -	Wake Forest University, 1995	Lewis & Clark School of Law, 2001
Mustafa Kasubhai	Joe Biden (D)	November 22, 2024 -	University of California, Berkeley, 1992	University of Oregon School of Law, 1996

Active Article III judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 6
• Republican appointed: 1

Senior judges

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Malcolm Marsh	Ronald Reagan (R)	April 16, 1998 -	University of Oregon, 1951	University of Oregon School of Law, 1954
Robert E. Jones	George H.W. Bush (R)	May 1, 2000 -	University of Hawaii, 1949	Lewis & Clark College, Northwestern School of Law, 1953
Ancer Haggerty	Bill Clinton (D)	August 26, 2009 -	University of Oregon, 1967	University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 1973
Anna Brown	Bill Clinton (D)	July 27, 2017 -	Portland State University, 1975	Northwestern School of Law, Lewis & Clark College, 1980
Michael Mosman	George W. Bush (R)	December 27, 2021 -	Utah State University, 1981	Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School, 1984
Ann Aiken		December 26, 2023 -	University of Oregon, 1974	University of Oregon School of Law, 1979

Senior judges by appointing political party

The list below displays the number of senior judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democrat appointed: 3
• Republican appointed: 3

Magistrate judges

Federal magistrate judges are federal judges who serve in United States district courts, but they are not appointed by the president and they do not serve life terms. Magistrate judges are assigned duties by the district judges in the district in which they serve. They may preside over most phases of federal proceedings, except for criminal felony trials. The specific duties of a magistrate judge vary from district to district, but the responsibilities always include handling matters that would otherwise be on the dockets of the district judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve for renewable terms of eight years. Some federal district courts have part-time magistrate judges, who serve for renewable terms of four years.

Judge	Appointed By	Assumed Office	Bachelors	Law
Janice Stewart			Stanford University, 1972	University of Chicago, 1975
John Acosta			San Diego State University, 1979	University of Oregon, 1982
John Jelderks			Willamette University	Willamette University College of Law
Jolie Russo			Lewis & Clark College	Lewis & Clark School of Law, 1998
Mark Clarke			Southern Oregon University, 1980	University of Oregon School of Law, 1983
Paul Papak			Princeton University, 1971	University of Wisconsin, 1975
Stacie F. Beckerman			University of Iowa, 1995	Harvard Law School, 1998
Youlee Yim You			Wellesley College, 1986	University of Washington School of Law, 1989
Patricia Sullivan		September 28, 2005 -	Loyola University, Chicago, 1973	University of Georgia School of Law, 1978
Andrew Hallman	United States District Court for the District of Oregon	September 29, 2021 -	University of Oregon, 2004	University of Oregon School of Law, 2008

Former chief judges

In order to qualify for the office of chief judge in an Article III circuit or district court, or on the United States Court of International Trade, a judge must be in active service and hold seniority over the court's commissioned judges who are 64 years of age or under, have served one year or more, and have not previously served as chief judge.

In the event that no judge on the court meets those qualifications, the youngest judge in regular active service aged 65 years or more and who has served as a judge for one year or more shall become chief judge. If no judge meets those qualifications, the judge holding seniority in active service who has not served as chief before shall become the chief judge.

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years until another judge becomes eligible to serve in the position. No judge is permitted to serve as chief judge after reaching the age of 70 years unless no other judge is qualified to serve.

Unlike the chief justice of the United States, a chief judge returns to active service after the expiration of their term and does not create a vacancy on the court by the fact of their promotion.

On the United States Court of Federal Claims, the chief judge is selected by the president of the United States. The judge must be less than 70 years of age. A chief may serve until they reach age 70 or until another judge is designated by the president as the new chief judge. If the president selects a new chief judge, the former chief judge may continue active service on the court for the remainder of their appointed term.

Michael Mosman - (2016-2019) Ann Aiken - (2009 - 2016) Ancer Haggerty - (2002 - 2009) Michael Hogan - (1995 - 2002) James Redden - (1990 - 1995) Owen Panner - (1984 - 1990) James Burns - (1979 - 1984) James Burns - (1979 - 1984)

Otto Skopil - (1976 - 1979) Robert Belloni - (1971 - 1976) Gus Solomon - (1958 - 1971) Claude McColloch - (1954 - 1958) James Alger Fee - (1948 - 1954) Marco A. Hernandez - (2019 - 2023)

Former judges

For more information on the judges of the District of Oregon, see former federal judges of the District of Oregon.

Jurisdiction

The Counties of Oregon (click for larger map)

The District of Oregon has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

The jurisdiction of the District of Oregon consists of all the counties in the state of Oregon. These counties are split into subdivisions, consisting of the following counties:

The Eugene Division holds court in the Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse, covering the counties of Benton, Coos, Deschutes, Douglas, Lane, Lincoln, Linn and Marion.

The Medford Division holds court in the James A. Redden United States Courthouse, covering the counties of Curry, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath and Lake.

The Pendleton Division holds court in the John F. Kilkenny United States Post Office and Courthouse, covering the counties of Baker, Crook, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler.

The Portland Division holds court in the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, covering the counties of Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Hood River, Jefferson, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Wasco, Washington and Yamhill.

Caseloads

This section contains court management statistics dating back to 2010. It was last updated in September 2023.

Click [show] below for more information on caseload terms and definitions.

Caseload statistics explanation
Term	Explanation
Cases filed and terminated	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated or decided by the court in a calendar year. The chart below reflects the table columns Cases filed and Cases terminated.
Average time from filing to disposition	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to date of disposition (acquittal, sentencing, dismissal, etc.). The chart below reflects the table columns Median time (Criminal) and Median time (Civil).
Starting case load	The number of cases pending from the previous calendar year.
Cases filed	The number of civil and criminal lawsuits formally initiated in a calendar year.
Cases terminated	The total number of civil and criminal lawsuits decided by the court in a calendar year.
Remaining cases	The number of civil and criminal cases pending at the end of a given year.
Median time (Criminal)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition. In criminal cases, the date of disposition occurs on the day of sentencing or acquittal/dismissal.
Median time (Civil)	The average amount of time, in months, from a case's date of filing to the date of disposition.
Three-year civil cases	The number and percent of civil cases that were filed more than three years before the end of the given calendar year.
Vacant posts	The number of months during the year an authorized judgeship was vacant.
Trial/Post	The number of trials completed divided by the number of authorized judgeships on the court. Trials include evidentiary trials, hearings on temporary restraining orders, and preliminary injunctions.
Source: United States Courts, "Explanation of the Judicial Caseload Profiles for United States District Courts," accessed September 25, 2018

United States District Court for the District of Oregon caseload stats, 2010-2022
Year	Cases Filed	Cases Terminated	Cases Pending	Number of Judgeships	Vacant Judgeship Months	Average Total Filings per Judgeship	Trials Completed per Judgeship	Median time from filing to disposition, criminal	Median time from filing to disposition, civil	Three-year civil cases (#)	Three-year civil cases (%)
2010	3,370	3,325	3,176	6	24	562	17	10	11	109	5
2011	3,315	3,413	2,904	6	10	553	15	10	11	119	5
2012	3,433	3,377	3,115	6	12	572	19	10	10	102	4
2013	3,430	3,385	3,158	6	5	572	14	11	11	100	4
2014	3,047	3,430	2,747	6	0	508	16	10	11	96	5
2015	3,394	3,229	2,912	6	0	566	10	13	10	108	5
2016	3,414	3,247	3,101	6	0	569	14	11	10	112	5
2017	3,035	3,196	2,940	6	5	506	8	13	11	118	5
2018	3,419	3,053	3,301	6	12	570	8	13	11	177	7
2019	3,271	3,167	3,351	6	7	545	10	12	12	204	8
2020	3,157	2,840	3,627	6	0	526	5	14	12	198	7
2021	2,919	2,892	3,633	6	0	487	8	17	12	289	11
2022	2,969	3,335	3,289	6	12	495	11	20	13	264	11
Average	3,244	3,222	3,173	6	7	541	12	13	11	154	6

History

The state of Oregon was organized as one judicial district by Congress with one judicial post on March 3, 1859. Since the district court of Oregon was not assigned to a judicial circuit, it was given the same jurisdiction as the U.S. circuit courts, except in appeals and writs of error, which are the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

On March 3, 1863, the circuit court jurisdiction of the Oregon district court was repealed. The United States District Court for the District of Oregon was established and assigned to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. On July 23, 1866, the District of Oregon was assigned over to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Over time. five additional judicial posts were added for a total of six posts.

Judicial posts

The following table highlights the development of judicial posts for the District of Oregon:

Year	Statute	Total Seats
March 3, 1859	11 Stat. 437	1
March 2, 1909	35 Stat. 686	2
August 3, 1949	63 Stat. 493	3
October 20, 1978	92 Stat. 1629	5
December 1, 1990	104 Stat. 5089	6

Federal courthouse

Six separate courthouses serve the District of Oregon.

About United States District Courts

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.

There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.

There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.

There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.

The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.

In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.

Appointments by president

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through February 1 of the first year of each president's term in office. At this point in the term, no president had made Article III judicial appointments.

Judges by district

See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.

Judicial selection

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.

Step	A Candidacy Proceeds	A Candidacy Halts
1. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President	President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee	President Declines Nomination
2. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate	Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation	Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee
3. Senate votes on candidate confirmation	Candidate becomes federal judge	Candidate does not receive judgeship

Magistrate judges

The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.

See also

• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• District of Alaska
• District of Arizona
• Central District of California
• Eastern District of California
• Northern District of California
• Southern District of California
• District of Hawaii
• District of Idaho
• District of Montana
• District of Nevada
• Eastern District of Washington
• Western District of Washington
• United States District Court for the District of Guam
• United States District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• United States District Court for the District of Oregon Official Website
• United States Attorney for the District of Oregon Official Website