Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Judiciary Capacity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Subcommittee advances judicial judgeships but removes two eastern Oregon posts in dash-2 amendment; lawmakers object
Summary
The subcommittee advanced Senate Bill 95, which would add four judgeships statewide, but adopted a dash-2 amendment that removed two proposed judgeships in eastern Oregon. Several members from affected districts opposed the amendment and pledged to press for those judgeships in future steps.
The subcommittee voted to advance Senate Bill 95 with a dash-2 amendment that provides four new statutory judgeships in the 2026 effective cycle but removes additional judgeships for certain eastern Oregon districts.
What the bill does: SB 95 would add four judgeships across judicial districts with fiscal support estimated at roughly $5.4 million General Fund and 20 staff positions (17 FTE) to support the judgeships. The positions are effective Jan. 1, 2026; counties would be responsible for court facilities for the new judges and staff.
Dash-2 amendment and controversy: The dash-2 amendment removed an additional judge for Judicial District 22 (Crook and Jefferson counties) and another for Morrow and Umatilla counties. Lawmakers from eastern Oregon criticized the amendment as underfunding core judicial needs in their districts. State Court Administrator Nancy Cozine told the committee that the Judicial Department prioritized requests based on a workload study and data-driven caseload analysis, but members said the decision to remove eastern-Oregon judges appeared to be a budget-driven legislative choice rather than a reflection of need.
Votes and next steps: Committee members debated the amendment and several registered objections were recorded. The subcommittee adopted the dash-2 amendment and moved SB 95 as amended to the full committee with a due-pass recommendation. Members from affected eastern districts pledged to continue advocacy for the removed judgeships on the floor and in subsequent budget cycles.
Ending: The bill will go to the full Ways and Means Committee; judicial-branch officials said they will continue to push their prioritized list and members signaled that future appropriation rounds could revisit the removed judgeships.
