Oregon Legal Research Blog
The 2008 OSB Judicial Candidate Voting Guide is out. These are helpful, for voting now and for reference information later.
It’s not always easy to find biographical information about state and local judges. Here are a few places to start:
*** OFFICIAL SOURCES ***
Oregon Judicial Department (OJD): for information on Oregon Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges
Voter Pamphlets (Oregon state and county elections offices)
*** FROM THE LEGAL COMMUNITY ***
County and other local resources including bar associations, e.g. in Multnomah Bar Association (MBA) Judicial Profiles, your local law or public library, or legal advocacy groups.
Law school libraries usually have additional print and online resources with judicial biographical information. (Law students use these resources when they are looking for judicial clerkships.) Oregon has 3 law school libraries (one is public, the other two are private): University of Oregon, Willamette Law School, and the Lewis & Clark Law School.
*** UNOFFICIAL SOURCES ***
Search newspaper archives. The best times to search for biographical information about judges is before and during the election or appointment process. But judges make it into newspapers at other times too.
Your public library reference staff will show you how to search their online newspaper databases and print newspaper archives.