- Paul De Muniz
Infobox Judge
name = Paul J. De Muniz
imagesize =
caption =
office = 41st Chief Justice of theOregon Supreme Court
termstart = 2006
termend =
nominator =
appointer =
predecessor =Wallace P. Carson, Jr.
successor =
office2 = 95th Associate Justice of theOregon Supreme Court
termstart2 = 2001
termend2 =
nominator2 =
appointer2 =
predecessor2 =George Van Hoomissen
successor2 =
office3 = Judge on theOregon Court of Appeals
termstart3 = 1990
termend3 = 2000
nominator3 =
appointer3 =Neil Goldschmidt
predecessor3 =Susan P. Graber
successor3 =David Schuman
birthdate = circa 1948
birthplace =Glendale, California
deathdate =
deathplace =
spouse = Mary De MunizPaul J. De Muniz (born c. 1948) is an American judge in the state of
Oregon . He is the firstHispanic Chief Justice in the history of theOregon Supreme Court . [ [http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php?l=in&id=5130&cha=10 Justice Paul J. De Muniz Elected Chief Justice for Oregon Supreme Court.] Hispanic PR Wire. RetrievedMarch 10 2007 .] 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 on the state's highest court. [ [http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/may162006/results/js.pdf May 16, 2006, Primary Election Abstract of Votes.] Oregon Secretary of State. RetrievedMarch 10 2007 .] De Muniz previously served on theOregon Court of Appeals for ten years.Early life
Born in
Glendale, California , De Muniz’s family lived there until Paul turned six when the family relocated toPortland, Oregon .cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = The Honorable Paul J. De Muniz
work = Supreme Court
publisher = Oregon Judicial Department
date =
url = http://www.ojd.state.or.us/courts/supreme/demunizbio.htm
accessdate = 2006-12-06 ] In Portland, he attended Harvey Scott Elementary in the Roseway Neighborhood and graduated from Madison High School in Northeast Portland. After graduating from high school in 1965 De Muniz served time in the Air Force, including time inVietnam during the war.cite web
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first =
title = The View from Oregon’s Highest Court
work = Profiles
publisher = Willamette University College of Law
date =
url = http://blog.willamette.edu/wucl/profiles/2007/04/the_view_from_oregons_highest.php
accessdate = 2006-11-03 ] De Muniz enrolled atPortland State University , graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1972. [ [http://www.legalspan.com/catalog2/faculty.asp?UserID=20050620729133170858%20%20%20%20%20%20&OwnerColor=%23660033 Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz.] LegalSpan. RetrievedFebruary 3 2008 .] He completed his education in 1975 after graduating fromWillamette University College of Law in Salem with a JD. At Willamette he was an associate editor of the school'slaw review publication.Legal career
After law school, De Muniz began a public legal career as a state deputy
public defender and later as a special prosecutor forDouglas County, Oregon . He also was in private practice in Salem at the firm of Garrett, Seideman, Hemann, Robertson & De Muniz. While in private practice, De Muniz was the primary attorney responsible for working to overturn the conviction ofSantiago Ventura Morales ’ murder conviction. Morales, a migrant farm worker fromMexico , was convicted in 1986 of killing a fellow farm worker. He was only given a Spanish interpreter 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 ascholarship to theUniversity of Portland and graduated with a degree in social work. [ [http://www.csusm.edu/nlrc/publications/Newsletter/NLRC_Newsletter_Fall2004_0923.pdf National Latino Research Center: Fall 2004 newsletter.] California State University San Marcos. RetrievedMarch 10 2007 .]In 1990, De Muniz was appointed to
Oregon Court of Appeals by Oregon's governor, and then won election to a full six-year term on the court in November of that year. He served on the Court of Appeals from 1990 to 2000, when in 2000 he was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court to fill an open seat on the court vacated whenGeorge Van Hoomissen retired. [http://www.bluebook.state.or.us/state/elections/elections27.htm Oregon Blue Book: Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.] Oregon Secretary of State. RetrievedMarch 10 2007 .] De Muniz' term began in 2001 when he became the state's first Latino Supreme Court justice, and in 2006 he was elected Chief Justice.Green, Ashbel. De Muniz will lead high court. "The Oregonian ",November 3 2005 .] Upon joining the court, he became the first Latino member in the court’s history. In November 2005, he was unanimously elected by his fellow court members to a six-year term as chief justice to replaceWallace P. Carson, Jr. who vacated the top position on the court.Other
Paul De Muniz is an adjunct professor of law at
Willamette University College of Law where he was mentor of the year in 1997. He previously taught at theNational Judicial College inReno, Nevada . He is married to Mary and has three children; Carrie, Peter and Michael.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Judge of the Supreme Court
work = Oregon Online Voter's Guide
publisher = Oregon Secretary of State
date =
url = http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/may162006/guide/np/demun_p.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-09 ] De Muniz has chaired the Sakhalin/Oregon Rule of Law partnership and served on the Judicial Fitness and Disability Commission, theOregon State Bar 's Board of Bar Examiners, the Supreme Court Access to Justice for All Committee, and the Oregon Criminal Justice Council.Works authored
*"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.References
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