Martha Walters
| Martha L. Walters | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| Oregon Supreme Court | |
| Title: | Justice |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | Ted Kulongoski |
| Active: | 1997 - 2015 |
| Past post: | Oregon Court of Appeals |
| Past term: | 1997-2006 |
| Past position: | Judge |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1950 |
| Undergraduate: | University of Michigan, 1972 |
| Law School: | University of Oregon School of Law, 1977 |
Contents |
Martha Lee Walters is an Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. She was appointed by Governor Ted Kulongoski in 2006 and retained by voters on November 4, 2008. [1] Her current term ends on January 1, 2015.
Education
Walters received her B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1972 and her J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1977. [2]
Career
Prior to joining the Oregon Supreme Court in 2006, Walters was a lawyer in private practice. From 1977 to 1985, she worked with the firm Harrang, Swanson, Long & Wilkinson, P.C. In 1985, she co-founded the firm Walters Romm Chanti & Dickens, P.C., where she later became firm president and secretary. [3]
Awards and Associations
- 2004-present Member, American Law Institute
- 1999-present Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
- 1998-present Fellow, Fellows of the American Bar Foundation
- 1995-present Member, Federal Bar Association
- 1992-present Oregon Commissioner, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
- 1992-present Member, National Employment Lawyers Association
- 1992-1995 Member, Judicial Conference of the Ninth Circuit [3]
For a complete list of Justice Walters' achievements, visit: Biography from the Oregon Supreme Court
Notable rulings
Tobacco damages ruling
In 2010, Walters authored the unanimous ruling that said tobacco company Philip Morris did not have to pay $100 million to the family of a smoker that passed away from cancer after smoking low-tar cigarettes. The case was sent back to Multnomah County court to reconsider the punitive damages, after finding that the judge improperly instructed the jury. [4]
Statute of limitations in sex abuse cases
Justice Walters wrote the court's opinion in a March 2008 case that called into question the state's statute of limitations in sexual abuse cases. The unanimous decision reversed the ruling by the Oregon Court of Appeals. [5]
External links
- Oregon Judicial Department, The Honorable Martha L. Walters
- Oregon Blue Book list of Oregon Supreme Court justices
- Project Vote Smart, Associate Justice Martha Lee Walters (OR)
- Office of the Governor, Press Release, "Governor Appoints Martha Walters to the Oregon Supreme Court", September 18, 2006
References
- ↑ 2008 General Election Results
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, Associate Justice Martha Lee Walters (OR)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Oregon Judicial Department, The Honorable Martha L. Walters
- ↑ Law.com, "Oregon Supreme Court Tosses Out $100 Million in Punitives Against Philip Morris", June 28, 2010
- ↑ The Dalles Chronicle, "Supreme court rules against city on abuse", March 14, 2008
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| Current |
Thomas Balmer • Martha Walters • Rives Kistler • Virginia Linder • David V. Brewer • Jack Landau • Richard C. Baldwin • | ||
| Former | Robert Durham • Paul DeMuniz • Michael Gillette • Betty C. Roberts • | ||
