Virginia Linder
Encyclopedia
Virginia Lynn Linder is an American
judge from Oregon
who has served, since January 2007, as the 99th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
. She had previously served since 1997 on the Oregon Court of Appeals
. In the 2006 elections, she was elected to the Supreme Court, defeating former Labor Commissioner and Republican
gubernatorial
candidate Jack Roberts
.
, the daughter of two teachers, but grew up mostly in Carmichael, California
. Linder earned her first degree in political science from Southern Oregon State College
in Ashland, Oregon
in 1975. She then spent two years working on the East Coast in order to save money for law school before returning to Oregon in 1977 to study law at Willamette University College of Law
in Salem
. She graduated from Willamette in 1980 with a Juris Doctor
. While in school she worked at the Oregon Department of Justice
during both her second and third years of law school, clerking in the Appellate Division of the Attorney General’s Office.
, winning Oregon v. ACF in 1994.
John Kitzhaber
, and was re-elected in 1998 and 2004. Her campaign for a seat on the Oregon Supreme Court began in 2005 when Chief Justice Wallace Carson, Jr.
announced that he would retire from the court in 2006. She faced Roberts and Pendleton
attorney Gene Hallman in the May primary, winning 39% of the vote to Roberts' 42%. Because no candidate won a majority of the votes, Linder and Roberts advanced to the November runoff. In that runoff, Linder defeated Roberts by 52% to 48%. Linder's campaign committee raised just over $350,000 for her campaign but was outspent by more than two-to-one by the Roberts committee, which raised over $710,000.
Since 1998 she has been a professor at Willamette's law school.
Linder is the first woman elected to the Oregon Supreme Court
; all previous female justices had been appointed to fill vacancies. She is also the first ever openly lesbian
member of a state supreme court
anywhere in the nation and the first openly LGBT
person elected as a non-incumbent to a state supreme court. Her partner is Colleen Sealock. She serves as one of six openly LGBT supreme court justices in the United States, alongside fellow Oregonian Rives Kistler
, Colorado Supreme Court
justice Monica Marquez
, Hawaii Supreme Court justice Sabrina McKenna
, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
justice Barbara Lenk
, and Vermont Supreme Court
justice Beth Robinson
. Her 2006 election campaign was supported by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
judge from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
who has served, since January 2007, as the 99th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
. She had previously served since 1997 on the Oregon Court of Appeals
Oregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
. In the 2006 elections, she was elected to the Supreme Court, defeating former Labor Commissioner and Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
gubernatorial
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
candidate Jack Roberts
Jack Roberts (Oregon politician)
Jack Roberts is a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A Republican, his highest office has been Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries, which he held from 1995 to 2003...
.
Early life
Virginia Linder was born in ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, the daughter of two teachers, but grew up mostly in Carmichael, California
Carmichael, California
Carmichael is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 61,762 at the 2010 census, up from 49,742 at the 2000 census.-Geography and geology:Carmichael...
. Linder earned her first degree in political science from Southern Oregon State College
Southern Oregon University
is a public liberal arts college located in Ashland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1926, it was formerly known as Southern Oregon College and Southern Oregon State College . SOU offers criminology, natural sciences, including environmental science, Shakespearean studies and theatre arts programs...
in Ashland, Oregon
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
in 1975. She then spent two years working on the East Coast in order to save money for law school before returning to Oregon in 1977 to study law at Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University College of Law is a private law school located in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1842, Willamette University is the oldest university in the Western United States...
in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. She graduated from Willamette in 1980 with a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
. While in school she worked at the Oregon Department of Justice
Oregon Department of Justice
The Oregon Department of Justice , headed by Attorney General John Kroger, is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its employees work in Oregon's capital, Salem...
during both her second and third years of law school, clerking in the Appellate Division of the Attorney General’s Office.
Legal career
She began her career as an Assistant Attorney General in the Appellate Division of the Oregon Department of Justice, starting in 1980. Then in 1984 Linder was appointed as assistant solicitor general of Oregon. In 1986, at the age of 33, she was appointed Oregon Solicitor General, being the first woman to hold that position and serving in that office for longer than anyone else in state history. During her time as Solicitor General, she represented the state of Oregon in front of the United States Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, winning Oregon v. ACF in 1994.
Judicial career
In 1997, she was appointed to the Court of Appeals by GovernorGovernor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
John Kitzhaber
John Kitzhaber
John Albert Kitzhaber is the 37th Governor of Oregon. He served as the 35th Governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003 and became the first person to be elected to the office three times when he was re-elected to a non-consecutive third term in 2010...
, and was re-elected in 1998 and 2004. Her campaign for a seat on the Oregon Supreme Court began in 2005 when Chief Justice Wallace Carson, Jr.
Wallace P. Carson, Jr.
Wallace P. Carson, Jr. is an American attorney and politician from Oregon. He has spent time in both of Oregon’s legislative branches and served on the Oregon Supreme Court for 24 years. Carson served for 14 years as Chief Justice of the court, which is the longest of any previous Chief Justice on...
announced that he would retire from the court in 2006. She faced Roberts and Pendleton
Pendleton, Oregon
Pendleton is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Pendleton was named in 1868 by the county commissioners for George H. Pendleton, Democratic candidate for Vice-President in the 1864 presidential campaign. The population was 16,612 at the 2010 census...
attorney Gene Hallman in the May primary, winning 39% of the vote to Roberts' 42%. Because no candidate won a majority of the votes, Linder and Roberts advanced to the November runoff. In that runoff, Linder defeated Roberts by 52% to 48%. Linder's campaign committee raised just over $350,000 for her campaign but was outspent by more than two-to-one by the Roberts committee, which raised over $710,000.
Since 1998 she has been a professor at Willamette's law school.
Linder is the first woman elected to the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
; all previous female justices had been appointed to fill vacancies. She is also the first ever openly lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
member of a state supreme court
State supreme court
In the United States, the state supreme court is the highest state court in the state court system ....
anywhere in the nation and the first openly LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
person elected as a non-incumbent to a state supreme court. Her partner is Colleen Sealock. She serves as one of six openly LGBT supreme court justices in the United States, alongside fellow Oregonian Rives Kistler
Rives Kistler
Rives Kistler is an American attorney and judge in the state of Oregon. After college and law school on the East Coast, he moved to Oregon where he worked in private practice before joining the Oregon Department of Justice...
, Colorado Supreme Court
Colorado Supreme Court
The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices.-Appellate jurisdiction:...
justice Monica Marquez
Monica Marquez
Monica Marie Márquez is a jurist and judge from the state of Colorado who serves as an associate justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. Previously a Deputy Colorado Attorney General, governor Bill Ritter appointed her to the supreme court in 2010 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of...
, Hawaii Supreme Court justice Sabrina McKenna
Sabrina McKenna
Sabrina Shizue McKenna is a judge from the U.S. state of Hawaii. Since February 16, 2011, she has served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.-Early life and education:...
, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
justice Barbara Lenk
Barbara Lenk
Barbara A. Lenk is an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. On April 4, 2011, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick nominated her to to that position and she was confirmed by the Governor's Council on May 4, 2011. She took the oath of office on June 8.-Early life and...
, and Vermont Supreme Court
Vermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont and is one of seven state courts of Vermont.The Court consists of a chief justice and four associate justices; the Court mostly hears appeals of cases that have been decided by other courts...
justice Beth Robinson
Beth Robinson
Beth Robinson is an American lawyer from Vermont who was appointed in October 2011 to the Vermont Supreme Court. Her nomination, made by Governor Peter Shumlin, requires confirmation from the Vermont Senate although, according to the Burlington Free Press, this is "seen as assured"...
. Her 2006 election campaign was supported by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of openly LGBT public officials in US political life.The Victory Fund was founded in 1991...
.