Oregon Judge Halts Court Duties to Focus on Re-election Bid
A judge in Oregon has provoked significant public outrage after informing her judicial colleagues that she can no longer oversee scheduled hearings, as she must now concentrate fully on her re-election campaign. This decision, revealed through a recent report, has raised questions about judicial priorities and the pressures of electoral politics within the court system.
Unexpected Challenge Leads to Case Transfer Request
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Adrian Brown, based in Portland, formally requested that her fellow judges assume responsibility for her previously scheduled misdemeanor domestic violence trials this month. The request was communicated via a Microsoft Teams message sent on Friday, which was subsequently obtained by Oregon Live. In her blunt message to colleagues, Brown wrote, 'None of us should be expected to be in trial while being tried by an election challenge. Indeed it's an impossibility. I wouldn't wish this on any of us.'
The 50-year-old judge explained that she cannot simply manage her campaign during evenings and weekends alone, necessitating the taking of workdays off to adequately prepare. According to her message, this drastic step was triggered after her opponent, public defender Peter Klym, filed to run against her with minimal notice. 'I was given no notice by my opponent that he would file and therefore no time to gather a team, make plan and meet deadlines,' Brown stated, noting that Klym submitted his candidacy on March 10, just thirty minutes before the final deadline.
Judicial Protocol and Campaign Constraints
Judge Brown emphasized that she remains available for other types of judicial proceedings, including plea deals and pre-trial conferences, but requires colleagues to cover the bulk of her trial caseload. 'I must also have space to take leave so that I don’t leave my seat to chance,' she added, underscoring the competitive nature of her re-election fight. In Multnomah County, judges outside family or juvenile law are typically assigned four-week rotations overseeing misdemeanor cases, with advance scheduling making coverage requests for illnesses or conflicts common, though rarely for campaign reasons.
When contacted by Oregon Live regarding her message, Brown defended her decision, pointing out that public employees are prohibited from working on their campaigns during official hours. Her campaign manager, Kathleen Stuart, further justified the move, comparing it to an educator arranging for a substitute teacher. 'Judge Brown is acting in accordance with the limits on public employees running for office,' Stuart said, adding that Brown has frequently covered for absent colleagues in the past and looks forward to returning to her courtroom duties.
Background and Previous Controversies
Judge Brown was elected to an open judicial seat in 2020, following her work on civil rights issues for the state's US Attorney's Office. She is currently the only judge facing re-election in Portland's downtown courthouse this year. A spokesperson for Presiding Judge Judith Matarazzo confirmed that judges are permitted to use vacation time for any purpose while receiving their annual salary of $209,000. In response to Brown's request, Circuit Judge Jeff Auxier has agreed to cover at least the first week of her cases.
This incident is not Brown's first encounter with controversy. In May 2025, Multnomah District Attorney Nathan Vasquez banned her from presiding over serious criminal cases, known as Ballot Measure 11 crimes, which include offenses like robbery, assault, murder, and first-degree rape. Vasquez did not specify which rulings prompted this decision but stated, 'Our office’s experience with Judge Brown’s rulings has led us to make the decision.'
Additionally, Brown missed the deadline to submit a statement to the Voters' Pamphlet, a document mailed to all residents with candidate information. She sought an extension by requesting a disability accommodation for her ADHD, but this was rejected by the Oregon Secretary of State's Office. The Daily Mail has reached out to Brown and Stuart for further comment on these developments.
