Peter Klym is endorsed by leaders of the public defense and prosecutor communities.
The Multnomah County Courthouse is operating at capacity. We don’t have enough public defenders or prosecutors to handle the caseloads. Individual judges cannot increase the state or county budgets, hire more public defenders, or change charging decisions, but here is how they can help:
Show up every day, eager and willing to hear every case that comes through the courthouse doors. We need a full slate of judges to hear pleas and conduct trials of all types.
Manage dockets efficiently. Attorney time spent waiting hours for a case to be calledcould be better spent at the office meeting with clients of preparing for trial.
Encourage settlements and pretrial dismissals where appropriate including by advocating for restorative justice practices. Trials take up far more court and attorney time than other hearings.
Minimize needless reversible error. Every judge will be reversed at some point, but by staying up to date with appellate decisions, a judge can minimize the number of convictions that get overturned and sent back for retrial, saving the county resources and freeing up attorneys to work on new cases.
Remember that the attorneys know their case best. A judge should not interject or meddle when the parties have an agreement, absent unique circumstances. By focusing only on what the judge is asked to decide, we can have a more efficient court.