Title 1, Courts of Record; Court Officers; Juries

The Legislative Assembly hereby declares that, as a matter of statewide concern, it is in the best interests of the people of this state that the judicial branch of state government, including the appellate, tax and circuit courts, be funded and operated at the state level. The L…

(1) The Supreme Court is the highest judicial tribunal of the judicial department of government in this state. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the presiding judge of the court and the administrative head of the judicial department of government in this state. The Chief …

(1) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall appoint after conferring with and seeking the advice of the Supreme Court, and may remove at pleasure: (a) The Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals. (b) The presiding judge for each judicial district. (2) Except as provided in subse…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law or the Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure, the Supreme Court shall provide by rule the practice and procedure for coordination of class actions under ORCP 32 in convenient courts, including provision for giving notice and presenting evidenc…

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or the presiding judge of any judicial district of this state may establish by rule a program to permit the use of credit card transactions as security deposits, fines, assessments, restitution or any other court-imposed monetary obligation …

(1) The Supreme Court may prescribe by rule the form of written process, notices, motions and pleadings used or submitted in civil proceedings and criminal proceedings in the courts of this state. The rules shall be designed to prescribe standardized forms of those writings for u…

(1) There is established in the State Treasury an account to be known as the Judicial Department Revolving Account. Upon the written request of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Oregon Department of Administrative Services shall draw warrants in favor of the Supreme Cou…

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall establish and maintain, consistent with applicable provisions of law: (1) A personnel plan for officers, other than judges, and employees of the courts of this state who are state officers or employees, governing the appointment, promo…

(1) The Judicial Department Operating Account is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the account shall be credited to the account. All moneys in the account are continuously appropriated to the Judicial Department and…

Every court of justice has power: (1) To preserve and enforce order in its immediate presence. (2) To enforce order in the proceedings before it, or before a person or body empowered to conduct a judicial investigation under its authority. (3) To provide for the orderly conduct o…

(1) In the exercise of administrative authority and supervision over the courts of this state, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has the authority to take actions and establish rules that promote judicial accountability and fair and accessible justice services, consistent wi…

(1) The State Court Technology Fund is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the State Court Technology Fund shall be credited to the fund. (2) All fees received on and after July 1, 2013, for the use of the Oregon Judi…

For the effectual exercise of the powers specified in ORS 1.010, the court may punish for contempt in the cases and the manner provided by statute.

(1) Where a duty is imposed by law or the Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure upon a court, or upon a judicial officer, clerk, bailiff, sheriff, constable or other officer, which requires or prohibits the performance of an act or series of acts in matters relating to the administrati…

(1) Each of the following courts, and no other, has a seal: (a) The Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. (b) Each circuit court and the Oregon Tax Court. (c) Each county court. (2) The seals shall have the arms of the state engraved in the center, with the following inscriptio…

The sittings of every court of justice are public, except that upon the agreement of the parties to a civil action, suit or proceeding, filed with the clerk or entered in the appropriate record, the court may direct the trial, or any other proceeding therein, to be private; upon …

Any question submitted to any judge of any court of, or any justice of the peace in, any of the courts of this state, excepting the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals and the judges thereof, must be decided and the decision rendered within three months after submission, unles…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the courts of justice may be held and judicial business transacted on any day. (2) On any legal holiday in this state no court may be open or transact any judicial business for any purpose except: (a) To give instructions …

If a day appointed for holding a court, or to which it is adjourned, is a legal holiday, the court is deemed appointed for or adjourned to the next judicial day.

Every court of justice shall sit at the location designated by or pursuant to law for that purpose. [Amended by 1983 c.763 §1]

(1) Except to the extent otherwise specifically provided by law, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall designate the principal location for the sitting of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Oregon Tax Court and each circuit court. For each circuit court there shall be a …

Upon agreement of the parties to a civil action, suit or proceeding in a circuit or county court, filed with the clerk or entered in the register, the court may direct that the trial or any other proceeding therein be had elsewhere within the county than at a location otherwise d…

If no judge attend on the day appointed for holding a court, before 4 p.m., the court shall stand adjourned until the next day at 9 a.m. [Amended by 1959 c.638 §2; 2015 c.212 §9]

No action, suit or proceeding pending in a court of justice is affected by a vacancy in the office of any or all of the judges. [Amended by 2015 c.212 §10]

A court or judicial officer has power to adjourn any proceedings before the court or the judicial officer, from time to time, as may be necessary, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute.

An application or other proceeding addressed to a court shall be addressed to it by its style as given by statute; an application or other proceeding addressed to a judicial officer shall be addressed to the judicial officer by name, without any other title than the style of offi…

(1) Except as provided in this section, every writing in any action, suit or proceeding in a court of justice of this state, or before a judicial officer, shall be in English. (2) A writing in an action, suit or proceeding in a court of justice of this state, or before a judicial…

When jurisdiction is, by the Constitution or by statute, conferred on a court or judicial officer, all the means to carry it into effect are also given; and in the exercise of the jurisdiction, if the course of proceeding is not specifically pointed out by the procedural statutes…

(1) A presiding judge appointed under ORS 1.003 is presiding judge for the circuit court of a judicial district established under ORS 3.012. (2) The presiding judge, to facilitate exercise of administrative authority and supervision over the circuit court of the district and cons…

Any time a court of this state is directed by a provision of Oregon Revised Statutes to accord priority on its docket for a particular action or proceeding, and the priority to be accorded is unclear in light of other provisions of Oregon Revised Statutes, the court may accord su…

(1) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall develop a biennial plan for capital improvements to county courthouses. The plan shall prioritize the need for capital improvements in the counties and establish budgets for capital improvement projects. The list of projects and co…

(1) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court may adopt state standards, and a state plan, for: (a) State court security, emergency preparedness and business continuity for facilities used by the judges or staff of a court operating under the Judicial Department or the staff of the …

(1) The State Court Facilities and Security Account is established separate and distinct from the General Fund. The account consists of moneys allocated to the account under the provisions of ORS 137.300. Moneys in the account are continuously appropriated to the State Court Admi…

(1) The county treasurer shall deposit moneys received from distributions under ORS 1.178 into a court facilities security account maintained by the county treasurer. The following apply to the account: (a) The moneys in the account and interest upon the account are reserved for …

(1) As used in this section, “court facility” means a state court or justice court other than the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Oregon Tax Court or office of the State Court Administrator. (2) The presiding judge for a judicial district may appoint an Advisory Committee on Cou…

(1) Out of the amount specified in section 1 (6), chapter 705, Oregon Laws 2013, the State Treasurer may issue Article XI-Q bonds in an amount not to exceed $19 million of net proceeds for the purposes specified in subsection (3) of this section, plus an amount estimated by the S…

(1)(a) Notwithstanding ORS 1.185, a county and the state, acting by and through the Oregon Department of Administrative Services on behalf of the Judicial Department, may enter into interim agreements that provide for the funding, acquisition, development and construction of a co…

(1) The Oregon Courthouse Capital Construction and Improvement Fund is established in the State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned on moneys in the Oregon Courthouse Capital Construction and Improvement Fund shall be credited to the fund. (2) T…

(1) The county in which a circuit court is located or holds court shall: (a) Provide suitable and sufficient courtrooms, offices and jury rooms for the court, the judges, other officers and employees of the court and juries in attendance upon the court, and provide maintenance an…

Except as provided in ORS 1.185 (1) and subject to applicable provisions of a plan established by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the state shall provide the supplies, materials, equipment and other personal property necessary for the operation of the circuit courts. The …

(1) As used in this section, “offense” means: (a) A violation of a parking ordinance; or (b) A traffic offense as defined in ORS 801.555 (2). (2) Notwithstanding ORS 137.143, the presiding judge of the judicial district in which a county is located may order that the circuit cour…

(1) The county treasurer shall deposit moneys received from surcharges imposed under ORS 1.188 in a courthouse surcharge account maintained by the county treasurer. (2) The moneys in the courthouse surcharge account and interest upon the account are reserved for the purposes of: …

As used in ORS 1.194 to 1.200: (1) “Payment” means an amount of money voluntarily paid by a debtor or an amount of money involuntarily paid by a debtor through offset or garnishment. (2) “State court” means a circuit court, the Oregon Tax Court, the Court of Appeals or the Suprem…

(1) Not later than October 1 of each fiscal year, all state courts and all commissions, departments and divisions in the judicial branch of state government shall submit reports to the Legislative Fiscal Office that describe the status of the liquidated and delinquent accounts of…

The State Court Administrator may enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the United States Financial Management Service and the Internal Revenue Service for the purpose of the reciprocal offsetting of the following amounts: (1) Federal tax refunds of debtors, to be offset…

(1) Except as otherwise provided by law, all state courts and all commissions, departments and divisions in the judicial branch of state government shall offer to assign the liquidated and delinquent accounts of the state court, commission, department or division to a private col…

(1) ORS 1.197 does not apply to liquidated and delinquent accounts that are: (a) Prohibited by state or federal law or regulation from assignment or collection; or (b) Subject to collection through an offset of federal tax refunds pursuant to an agreement entered into under ORS 1…

(1) The State Court Administrator may establish policies and procedures for exempting accounts from the requirements of ORS 1.197. All policies establishing exemptions under this section must be documented and justified by the State Court Administrator. (2) The State Court Admini…

Nothing in ORS 1.194 to 1.200 limits or affects the ability of a judge of a state court to enforce, modify, set aside, suspend, delay, condition, schedule or take any other action authorized by law with respect to a debt or money obligation owed to this state. [2001 c.823 §16]

(1) All circuit courts and appellate courts of this state, and all commissions, departments and divisions in the judicial branch of state government, shall add a fee of not more than $200 to any judgment that includes a monetary obligation that the court or judicial branch is cha…