Oregon's Governor Kate Brown announced today that she will appoint Maurisa Gates to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Gates will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Kathleen M. Dailey. Her position will be assigned to the court’s Family Law Department.

Gates’ appointment is effective immediately.

“Maurisa Gates is a skilled attorney who has spent decades working with the most vulnerable in our community—particularly children—as they navigate the justice system,” Governor Brown said. “I look forward to seeing her bring her compassion, empathy, and commitment to procedural fairness to her work as a judge on the family law bench.”

Gates has served as a public defender for more than 25 years, spending much of that time representing juvenile clients.

She grew up in Detroit, Michigan, attending school in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Gates attended Wayne State University for her undergraduate degree, and then went on to earn her law degree from the same university. After graduating from law school, she worked in Detroit representing juveniles in delinquency and dependency cases for nearly five years before moving to Portland in 2000 and joining the Metropolitan Public Defender office (MPD). In 2006, Gates moved to the juvenile unit of MPD, and has remained there ever since. She currently serves as a senior attorney in that office.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Gates has acted as a co-trainer for the Juvenile Immersion Training Program at the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association juvenile conference and as the Western Division Board Member for the State of Oregon for the National Juvenile Defender Center.

She has served on the Multnomah Bar Association’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2022-02-23 13:53:12

Last Update: 2022-02-23 14:13:38