Government of Oregon - Judicial Branch

Judicial Branch

Oregon's state level judicial branch of government consists of the Oregon Judicial Department (OJD) which operates four state run court systems. Two of these courts are primarily trial level courts, while the other two are primarily courts of appeal. The chief executive of the OJD is the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. At the local level are some justice courts, municipal courts, and county courts.

The Oregon Supreme Court is located in the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem. It consist of seven judges that are elected to six year terms in state-wide popular elections, with vacancies filled by appointment by the Governor of Oregon. As the highest court in the state, it is the final authority on state law and its decisions can only be overturned by the United States Supreme Court. The court is headed by the Chief Justice, who is elected to a six-year term by fellow justices.

Oregon's Court of Appeals is an intermediate court of appeals hearing appeals from decisions of both civil and criminal cases decided at the trial court level. This court has ten judges that in most cases sit in three judge panels to determine the outcome of appeals. The judges are also elected state-wide to six-year terms, with vacancies filed by appointment of the governor. The Oregon Supreme Court’s Chief Justice appoints one of the ten judges to serve as Chief Judge, who acts as the head of the Court of Appeals. Appeals from decisions of this court go to the Oregon Supreme Court.

The OJD operates the Oregon Circuit Courts, which are 27 trial level court districts across the state that receive both civil and criminal court cases. As of January 2007, the courts had 173 judges spread over the 27 districts that cover the state’s 36 circuit courts. The majority of appeals from the Circuit Courts go to the Oregon Court of Appeals. Some limited cases go directly to the Oregon Supreme Court if appealed from at the trial court level.

Cases involving issues of taxation are handled primarily through the Oregon Tax Court. This court has two divisions, with the Magistrate Division being an informal process appearing more like alternative dispute resolution. The Regular Division is a formal court headed by a single Tax Court judge elected to six-year terms on a state-wide basis. Appeals from the Magistrate Division go to the Regular Division, and appeals from decisions of this court go directly to the Oregon Supreme Court.