Governor Tina Kotek has announced that she will appoint Jeffrey D. Auxier to the Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Auxier fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Amy Baggio. In an announcement of her appointment, Governor Kotek indicated that Auxier received the most votes in the November 2024 general election and that "the appointment reflects the will of the voters in Multnomah County." The appointment is effective immediately. Article V, Section 16 of the Oregon Constitution says that "[W]hen at any time a vacancy occurs...in the office of judge of any court, the governor shall fill such vacancy by appointment"

In this case, an election did precede the appointment, but it need not, and in nearly all cases, judges resign partway through a term and -- as provided in the Oregon Constitution -- the replacement appointment is made by the Governor. Nearly all Oregon Governors are from the west side of the state, and an even higher percentage from the Willamette Valley. Since 2014, Oregon Governors (Brown, Kotek) have hailed from the Portland metro area. This has a disruptive effect on the regional ties judges have to their communities in other parts of the state.

Jeffrey Auxier's left-leaning credentials are unquestionable. He was a member of OHSU Gun Violence Review Commission.

In an interview with the Oregonian Editorial Board prior to the November 2024 elections, Auxier said:

In July of this year, I served as the lead prosecutor in State v. Rahnique Jackson, a murder case in which a man was stabbed to death for defending his transgender friend. The case lacked meaningful surveillance footage or forensic evidence, and relied heavily on eyewitness testimony. I biked around Portland to meet my witnesses after they got off work at bars and restaurants. Connecting with Portlanders of varying gender identities and racial backgrounds who wanted to help their community and honor Colin’s life deepened my connection to the city and strengthened the case.

This case was rigorously and publicly prosecuted by then-Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt.

Again, from the same interview,

As district attorney of Columbia County, I made several decisions that were not always politically popular but they were the right thing to do. Following my appointment as DA in 2017, I inherited the case of State v. Daniel Butts, in which the defendant was charged with murdering the chief of police in Rainier. Many members of the community wanted me to pursue the death penalty in that case, but after working closely with law enforcement and the family of the victim, I gained their support to pursue a life sentence, which better accounted for the defendant’s mental illness.

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2024-12-04 14:38:57

Last Update: 2024-12-04 15:28:23