New Judge Coming To Washington County In 2019

SALEM, OR — Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday signed a House Bill to increase the number of circuit court judges in the judicial districts of Josephine and Washington counties. House Bill 2605 was passed unanimously by both the House on June 30 and the Senate on July 5.

The bill increases the number of judges in each county by one, giving Josephine County a total of five judges and Washington County a total of 15. The new judges will take the gavel by January 2019.

More than $617,460 was also budgeted as part of the bill to pay the salaries and benefits for the new judges, the salaries and benefits for the new judges' support staff, and the cost of equipment and furnishings necessary for those positions, according to the bill's text.

"We're desperate for a new judge and have been for years," said Richard Moellmer, trial court administrator for Washington County. "Washington County has been at the top of the list (for a new judge) every legislative cycle."

The last time Washington County added a judge position was 2003, when Judge Rick Knapp joined the county's judicial team. Knapp retired in 2015, Moellmer said.

The second largest jurisdiction in Oregon by population, Washington County's judicial system compares in size to Clackamas (11 judges), Marion (14 judges), Lane (15 judges), and Deschutes (seven judges) counties. Multnomah County maintains 38 judges.

As one of the fastest growing counties in Oregon, Washington County judges currently see more cases and more trials than the judges in many other counties across the state, Moellmer said.

"Washington County continues to grow in people, cases, and complexity," he said. "This is good news."

Photo Courtesy: Travis Loose, Patch News