Malcolm F. Marsh: A Judicial Philosophy of Kindness–Lifetime Service Award 2020
By Kelly A. Zusman The U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society is pleased to honor Judge Malcolm F. Marsh with its 2020 Lifetime Service Award. This article is based on his 2005 oral history and many conversations with Judge Marsh. He was the “baby” judge in 1987. It had been seven years since President Jimmy Carter had appointed the trio: Judges Owen Panner, Helen J. Frye, and James A. Redden. Judge Robert Belloni and Jim Burns were the senior judges, and the district of Oregon had just three U.S. Magistrate Judges at that time: William Dale, George Juba, and Michael Hogan. Judge Malcolm Marsh had been appointed just…
Open for Business, Waiting for the Flood
By Stephen Raher While the COVID-19 pandemic took most people by surprise, Oregon’s bankruptcy court was actually well-prepared for the disruptions. “We have been working on our emergency preparedness plans for years,” says Clerk of Court Charlene Hiss. “While these contingency plans are usually implemented for weather-related disruptions, they have worked just as well during the current health-related lockdown.” According to Chief Bankruptcy Judge Trish Brown, “The court focused on three goals when we revised our operations and procedures: complying with public health guidelines, remaining open for all people and businesses who need our services, and protecting our staff and customers.” Complying with stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines has…
The Federal Defender Office Continues Operations During The Covid Pandemic
By Nell Brown The Office of the Federal Public Defender kicked off teleworking on March 12 with our first ever 4 pm all-office conference call and the signing of telework agreements for our personnel files. Far from time off, the Federal Public Defender staff has worked long hours during the pandemic, tackling new work such as advocating for vulnerable clients in potential prison hot spots while maintaining normalcy in workflow as much as possible and keeping our staff safe. For two months, we have maintained a stellar skeleton crew of just a few employees in the office to staff the phones and work with the court on daily business. All…
On Liberty, During a Pandemic
By U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman I enter the courtroom and sit behind the bench in silence, without the ceremonial “all rise.” Instead of greeting the defendant, defense lawyer, prosecutor, and a small crowd of onlookers in the gallery, I sit alone and turn on my computer. On the monitor, the split-screen captures video feeds from all over the state: an individual in custody in federal prison, a defense lawyer sitting at his kitchen table, the prosecutor sitting in her home office, a court reporter, an interpreter, and me, seated and robed at my courtroom bench, positioned in front of our federal court seal. Court is in session. Thanks to…
Remembering Judge Dennis Hubel
By Dan Thenell The U.S. District Court of Oregon Historical Society notes with great sadness the passing of U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis Hubel on September 16, 2019. We look forward to posting an extended article in the future based on his oral history. Denny, to his friends and Judge to me and my co-workers, was a trial lawyer’s judge. He followed the law, he treated participants in the judicial system with intense fairness and was never unprepared. Judge Hubel was appointed as a part-time U.S. magistrate judge in 1995, while a partner at Karnopp Petersen in Bend, Oregon. He moved to Portland’s Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse when he assumed…