Remembering Owen Schmidt (1947-2026)
By Steve Odell Owen Schmidt, a longtime supporter and friend of the US District Court Historical Society, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on May 7, 2026. Owen was a fixture in the Oregon environmental law community during his accomplished, multi-decade career, during which I had the good fortune to work with him on myriad environmental and natural resources cases in the District Court for the District of Oregon. Most of these cases involved litigation involving consequential and often controversial decisions regarding management of the many National Forests within the state. In addition to serving as in-house counsel for the Forest Service at the USDA-Office of General Counsel, Owen also…
U.S. Magistrate Judge John (“Jack”) Cooney (1932 – 2026)
By Joselyn Baez Urena (Intern, Hon. Stacie F. Beckerman) Retired U.S. Magistrate Judge John “Jack” Cooney passed away on January 19, 2026, at his home in Medford, Oregon, just days before his ninety-fourth birthday. Judge Cooney served as a part-time magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court’s Medford Division from 1989 until 1993 (while continuing his local private law practice with Donald K. Denman), and as a full-time magistrate judge from 1993 until he retired from full-time service in 2007. He was the District of Oregon’s first magistrate judge to serve in Medford. Judge Cooney’s successor, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke, recalls Judge Cooney fondly “as a smart and…
Judge Michael Hogan Memorial Service
A memorial commemorating the life of Judge Michael Hogan will take place in Eugene, Oregon on January 24, 2026 at The Club meeting room in the upper level of the south side of Autzen Stadium, at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Lane County Youth for Christ.
Passing of Judge Michael Robert Hogan 1946-2025
By Adair Law The day after Thanksgiving, we learned that a long-burning light in the District of Oregon has dimmed. Judge Michael Hogan passed away on November 28 after a long illness. Michael Hogan was born in Oregon City in 1946. In his 2014 oral history, he told of his father, Robert, coming to Oregon in 1937 to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps. “He had grown up orphaned in Georgia and got on the train with four dollars, half a ham, and his first pair of shoes on.” He was posted to a camp on the south fork of the Coquille River. He eventually met and married Maxine…
U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy Potter Sworn In
By U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman On September 2, 2025, Chief U.S. District Judge Michael McShane administered the oath of office to U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy Potter in the Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse in Eugene before a crowd of Judge Potter’s family, friends, and colleagues. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Potter was a Principal at Angeli & Calfo LLC and an instructor at the University of Oregon School of Law. She previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon for seventeen years. Throughout her many years appearing in Oregon’s federal courts, she tried cases in…