Paul De Muniz

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Paul J. De Muniz
41st Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office 
2006
Preceded by Wallace P. Carson, Jr.
Succeeded by Incumbent
95th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office 
2001
Preceded by George Van Hoomissen
Succeeded by Incumbent

Paul J. De Muniz, born in California and raised in Portland, Oregon, is the first Hispanic Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice in the court’s history.[1] He was elected to the court in 2000, and elected as Chief Justice in 2006. He won re-election in May 2006 for another six-year term.[2]

Contents

[edit] Early Life

Born in Glendale, California, De Muniz’s family lived there until Paul turned six when the family relocated to Portland.[3] In Portland, he attended Harvey Scott Elementary in the Roseway Neighborhood and graduated from Madison High School in Northeast Portland.[3] After graduating from high school in 1965[4] De Muniz served time in the Air Force, including time in Vietnam during the war.[5]

[edit] Education

De Muniz enrolled at Portland State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1972.[6] He completed his education in 1975 after graduating from Willamette University College of Law in Salem with a JD.[5] At Willamette he was an associate editor of the school's law review publication.[5]

[edit] Legal Career

After law school, De Muniz began a long public legal career as a state deputy public defender and later as a special prosecutor for Douglas County, Oregon.[5] He also was in private practice in Salem at the firm of Garrett, Seideman, Hemann, Robertson & De Muniz.[5] Later he was appointed and served on the Oregon Court of Appeals from 1990 to 2000, when he was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court. His term began in 2001, and was elected Chief Justice in 2006.[3]

De Muniz was the primary attorney responsible for working to overturn the conviction of Santiago Ventura Morales’ murder conviction.[5] Morales, a migrant farm worker from Mexico, was convicted in 1986 of killing a fellow farm worker. He was only given a Spanish interprator to assist in the language barrier, however his primary language was Mixtec. On appeal it was shown that Morales was not the killer and he was released in a national watched incident. After release Morales was given a scholarship to the University of Portland and graduated with a degree in social work.[7]


Paul De Muniz is an adjunct Professor of Law at Willamette University College of Law where he was mentor of the year in 1997.[3] He previously taught at the National Judicial College in Reno.[3]

[edit] Select Scholarly Publications[3]

  • A Practical Guide to Oregon Criminal Procedure and Practice, Templeton Press, 2005.
  • Eroding the Public’s Confidence in Judicial Impartiality: First Amendment Federal Jurisprudence and Special Interest Financing of Judicial Campaigns, 67 Albany Law Review 763, 2004.
  • Politicizing State Judicial Elections: A Threat to Judicial Independence, 38 Willamette Law Review 367, 2002.

[edit] Other

  • Has chaired the Sakhalin/Oregon Rule of Law partnership.[3]
  • Served on the Judicial Fitness and Disability Commission, the Oregon State Bar’s Board of Bar Examiners, the Supreme Court Access to Justice for All Committee, and the Oregon Criminal Justice Council.[3]
  • Married to Mary with children Carrie, Peter and Michael.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=5130&cha=10
  2. ^ http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/may162006/results/js.pdf
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h The Honorable Paul J. De Muniz. Supreme Court. Oregon Judicial Department. Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
  4. ^ a b Judge of the Supreme Court. Oregon Online Voter's Guide. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Profiles. Willamette University College of Law. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
  6. ^ http://www.legalspan.com/catalog2/faculty.asp?UserID=20050620729133170858%20%20%20%20%20%20&OwnerColor=%23660033
  7. ^ http://www.csusm.edu/nlrc/publications/Newsletter/NLRC_Newsletter_Fall_2004_09_23.pdf


Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Oregon State Flag
Chief Justice Paul De Muniz
W. Michael Gillette • Robert D. Durham • Thomas A. Balmer • Rives Kistler • Martha Lee Walters • Virginia Linder
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