Oregon Supreme Court elections, 2016
| 2016 State Judicial Elections |
|---|
 |
| Part 1: Overview |
| Part 2: Supreme Courts |
| Part 3: Partisanship |
| Part 4: Changes in 2016 |
Three seats on the Oregon Supreme Court were up for election in 2016. These seats were held by Justice Rives Kistler, Justice Lynn Nakamoto, and Justice Jack Landau heading into the election.
Oregon's election rules specify a primary for a judicial race when the seat is due for election at the routine end of its term. But in the case of a midterm vacancy that has been filled by recent appointment, no primary is automatically required. Instead, in that case, a primary is held for the seat only if two or more candidates file. For the seats with a primary, a candidate receiving 50 percent or more of the vote at the primary is elected. This year, two of the three seats up for election on the Oregon Supreme Court were due to routine term endings. Those seats were elected in a primary on May 17. Justices Rives Kistler and Jack Landau each ran unopposed, and each was re-elected. The remaining seat, held by recent midterm vacancy appointee Justice Lynn Nakamoto, who also ran unopposed, was elected on November 8.
November 8 candidates
Position 6
■ Lynn Nakamoto 
November 8 election results
| Oregon Supreme Court, Position 6, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Lynn Nakamoto Incumbent (unopposed) |
97.85% | 1,140,090 |
| Write-in votes | 2.15% | 25,033 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 1,165,123 | |
| Source: Oregon Secretary of State Official Results | ||
May 17 candidates
May 17 election results
| Oregon Supreme Court, Position 4, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Rives Kistler Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.66% | 645,539 |
| Write-in votes | 1.34% | 8,781 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 654,320 | |
| Source: Oregon Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Oregon Supreme Court, Position 5, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jack Landau Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.80% | 644,620 |
| Write-in votes | 1.2% | 7,817 |
| Total Votes (100% reporting) | 652,437 | |
| Source: Oregon Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Political composition
Oregon's supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. Chief Justice Thomas Balmer, Justice Martha Walters, Justice Lynn Nakamoto and Justice Rives Kistler were appointed by Democratic governors to fill vacancies on the court.
Chief Justice Thomas Balmer
Justice Martha Walters
Justice Rives Kistler
Justice Lynn Nakamoto
Justice David V. Brewer
Justice Jack Landau
Justice Richard C. Baldwin
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Oregon
State court judges serve six-year terms and run for nonpartisan election. In the case of a vacancy, the governor may fill the seat with an appointment. To keep that position, the appointed person must run for election for a full six-year term at the next general election.
If a candidate in the primary election receives more than 50 percent of the vote, he or she is elected. If not, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election.[1]
All judicial races require a primary election except those to fill a midterm vacancy for a seat that would otherwise not have appeared on the ballot that year. In the case of such a midterm vacancy, the primary may be skipped if only one or two candidates file for that office. If there are three or more candidates running for that seat, however, they compete in the primary. If any candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote in the primary, that candidate's name appears unopposed on the general election ballot. If no candidate receives a majority, then the top two candidates advance to the general election. This differs from regular judicial elections that are held at the end of a judge's term in that no candidates can be elected at the primary.[1]
Oregon votes entirely by mail. Registered voters receive their ballots two to three weeks prior to the election. They must submit their ballots by mail or by dropping them into an official drop box. The deadline by which ballots must be received is 8 p.m. on the day of the election.[2]
Qualifications
Justices on the Oregon Supreme Court serve in terms of six years.[3] The mandatory retirement age in Oregon is 75.[4] To be a qualified candidate to the court, he must be a United States citizen, a resident of Oregon at least three years before the election or appointment, and must be admitted to practice law in the Oregon Supreme Court.[5]
Removal of justices
A judge may be removed if for conviction of a felony or a "crime involving moral turpitude," misconduct in office, a failure to perform the duties of the bench, incomptence, violation of a rule of judicial conduct, or drunkenness or abuse of drugs.[4]
State profile
| Demographic data for Oregon | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 4,024,634 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 95,988 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 85.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 1.8% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 4.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 12.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 30.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $51,243 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 18.4% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Oregon. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Oregon
Oregon voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, two are located in Oregon, accounting for 0.97 percent of the total pivot counties.[6]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Oregon had two Retained Pivot Counties, 1.10 of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Oregon coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Oregon
- United States congressional delegations from Oregon
- Public policy in Oregon
- Endorsers in Oregon
- Oregon fact checks
- More...
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Oregon Supreme Court election' OR 'Oregon judicial elections' OR 'Oregon court elections 2016'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oregon Legislature, "Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 249," accessed May 13, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Voting in Oregon," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Oregon Judicial Department, "Oregon Supreme Court," accessed August 19, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Oregon State Legislature, "Oregon Constitution, 2015 Edition," accessed May 13, 2016
- ↑ Oregon Courts, "An Introduction to the Courts of Oregon," accessed May 13, 2016
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Oregon • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Oregon
State courts:
Oregon Supreme Court • Oregon Court of Appeals • Oregon Circuit Courts • Oregon Tax Court • Oregon County Courts • Oregon Justice Courts • Oregon Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Oregon • Oregon judicial elections • Judicial selection in Oregon