Title 1, Courts of Record; Court Officers; Juries

Each circuit judge shall hold office for the term for which the circuit judge was elected; and at the general election or, if applicable, at the election specified in ORS 249.088 next prior to the expiration of the term of office there shall be elected a circuit judge to succeed …

(1) Each judge of the circuit court shall be a citizen of the United States and a resident of this state. (2) Except as provided in subsections (3) and (4) of this section, each judge of the circuit court shall be a resident of or have principal office in the judicial district fo…

No person is eligible to the office of judge of the circuit court unless the person is a licensee of the Oregon State Bar. [Amended by 1961 c.724 §3; 2025 c.32 §65]

Each of the judges of the circuit court shall receive such salary as is provided by law. When any judicial district is composed of more than one county a judge thereof is entitled to reimbursement for hotel bills and traveling expenses necessarily incurred by the judge in the per…

Any judge of a circuit court in any judicial district may, in chambers, grant and sign defaults, judgments, interlocutory orders and provisional remedies, make findings and decide motions, demurrers and other like matters relating to any judicial business coming before the judge …

If two or more persons are sitting as judges of the circuit court in a judicial district: (1) Any two or more of them may act in joint session for the trial or determination of any cause, matter or proceeding before the court in the judicial district, including jury cases. If the…

(1) All judicial jurisdiction, authority, powers, functions and duties of the county courts and the judges thereof, except the jurisdiction, authority, powers, functions and duties exercisable in the transaction of county business, are transferred to the circuit courts and the ju…

In addition to other cases over which they have jurisdiction, circuit courts shall have the same criminal and quasi-criminal jurisdiction as justice courts and shall have concurrent jurisdiction with municipal courts of all violations of the charter and ordinances of any city who…

When an offense defined by municipal ordinance is tried in circuit court, it shall be subject to the same statutes and procedures that govern the trial and appeal of a like offense defined by a statute of this state. [Formerly 46.047]

(1) The circuit court for a county within the boundaries of which there is situated the largest part of a city having a population of more than 300,000 shall have all judicial jurisdiction, authority, powers, functions and duties of the municipal court of each such city and the j…

(1) Notwithstanding ORS 1.040, a judge of the Circuit Court for Marion County when hearing matters relating to writs of habeas corpus as provided in ORS 34.310 to 34.730 may direct that the court be held or continued at any location designated under ORS 1.085 and under such condi…

(1) A circuit court may make and enforce all rules necessary for the prompt and orderly dispatch of the business of the court and not inconsistent with applicable provisions of law, the Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure or rules made or orders issued by the Chief Justice of the Sup…

Subject to the approval of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a circuit court, by rule under ORS 3.220, may establish specialized subject-matter departments of the court, and may modify or abolish departments so established. Any judge of the court may act in any department s…

As used in ORS 3.250 to 3.280, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Child” means a person under 18 years of age. (2) “Court services” includes but is not limited to services and facilities relating to intake screening, juvenile detention, shelter care, investigations, stud…

It is declared to be the policy and intent of the Legislative Assembly: (1) Notwithstanding concurrent jurisdiction, that family and family-related matters before the courts be concentrated in a single judicial jurisdiction, the circuit court. (2) The judges of the circuit court …

(1) The circuit courts and the judges thereof shall exercise all juvenile court jurisdiction, authority, powers, functions and duties. (2) Pursuant to ORS 3.275, in addition to any other jurisdiction vested in it by law, the circuit court shall exercise exclusive and original jud…

(1) Notwithstanding ORS 3.260, no transfer of jurisdiction required by ORS 3.260 (1) shall occur in the following counties until the county court approves such transfer either as of July 1, 1968, or thereafter: (a) Gilliam, Sherman, Wheeler, Harney or Morrow County. (b) Any count…

(1) All judicial jurisdiction, authority, powers and duties of the county courts and the judges thereof over matters described in ORS 3.260 (1), are transferred to the circuit courts and the judges thereof. (2) All judicial jurisdiction, authority, powers and duties of the county…

(1) After making a determination that conditions in the judicial district make it desirable to concentrate jurisdiction over all or part of family and family-related matters in the circuit court, the circuit court by its own order shall exercise jurisdiction over any or all of th…

(1) The circuit court may obtain court services by using services available without charge or, with the prior approval of the governing body of each county in the judicial district, by: (a) Employing or contracting for personnel or services; or (b) Contracting or entering into ag…

(1) Subject to the approval of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the presiding judge for a judicial district may establish, and may terminate, the use of a panel of reference judges for the trial and disposition of civil actions in the circuit court under ORS 3.300 to 3.321…

(1) At any time before trial of a civil action in a circuit court for which use of a panel of reference judges is established under ORS 3.300, the parties to the action may file with the presiding judge for the judicial district a written request for referral of the action to a r…

(1) Upon entry of an order of the presiding judge for a judicial district referring an action under ORS 3.305, the clerk of the court shall cause a copy of the order to be delivered to the reference judge. Upon receipt of the copy of the order, the reference judge shall set the a…

(1) Within 20 days after the close of all evidence offered in a trial on reference conducted under ORS 3.311, unless a later time is agreed upon by the parties, the reference judge shall mail to each party a copy of the proposed written report of the reference judge. The proposed…

(1) Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the compensation of a reference judge to whom an action is referred under ORS 3.305 shall be an amount for each day actually engaged in the performance of duties under the referral and in the conduct and disposition of post-trial procee…

(1) A family court department may be established in the circuit court of a judicial district upon the written application of the presiding judge. The written application must be made to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Upon receipt and approval of a written application, th…

(1) The presiding judge of the judicial district may assign to a family court department established under ORS 3.405 all of the following matters: (a) Proceedings under the provisions of ORS chapters 107, 108, 109 and 110; (b) Proceedings under the provisions of ORS chapter 25; (…

If there is more than one judge assigned to a family court department for the judicial district, the presiding judge of the judicial district may designate one of the judges as the chief family court judge. [1993 c.165 §3]

Upon assignment to the family court department of the cases specified in ORS 3.408, the presiding judge of the judicial district shall insure, when reasonable and appropriate, that all cases that involve the same minor child be assigned to the same judge. [1993 c.165 §4]

The presiding judge of the judicial district may establish procedures for coordinating all services that may be available to persons who are or who may become parties in the proceedings specified in ORS 3.408. [1993 c.165 §5]

At any time after the establishment of a family court department under ORS 3.405, the family court department shall be abolished if the presiding judge of the judicial district makes written application to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court requesting that the family court de…

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court may promulgate court rules for family court departments established under ORS 3.405. [1993 c.165 §7]

(1) The family court department or, if there is no family court department, the presiding judge or designee of each circuit court may establish an education program designed to inform parents about the impact of family restructuring on children when the parent is a named party in…

(1) A family law facilitation program may be established by the judges of the family court department of a circuit court. If there is no family court department for the court, a family law facilitation program may be established for a circuit court by the presiding judge for the …

(1) The Judicial Department shall establish family court advocate programs in counties specified in subsection (4) of this section. The programs shall be designed to develop an efficient system for providing integrated, family-focused prevention and intervention services to at-ri…

The State Court Administrator shall implement an education program for state judges that emphasizes issues and problems encountered in the establishment and management of family court departments. The program shall provide education on the manner in which family court departments…

(1) No later than January 1, 1999, the presiding judge of each judicial district shall adopt a plan to coordinate the provision of services to families involved in domestic relations or other family court proceedings. (2) The presiding judge of the judicial district shall establi…

(1) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court may appoint a statewide family law advisory committee to assist the State Court Administrator in carrying out the administrator’s responsibilities under ORS 3.438 (2) and (4)(a) and in identifying family law issues that need to be addres…

To the extent that adequate funds are available from the Family Law Account established under ORS 3.440, the State Court Administrator: (1) Shall hire a director of family court services and sufficient staff, whose compensation must come solely from the Family Law Account, and ma…

The Family Law Account is established as an account in the General Fund. All moneys in the account are appropriated and constitute a continuous appropriation out of the General Fund to the State Court Administrator for the purposes of ORS 3.436 and 3.438. The State Court Administ…

(1)(a) The presiding judge of a judicial district may appoint one or more persons as child support referee. (b) A child support referee appointed under this section: (A) Must be qualified by training and experience in handling child support and parentage matters; and (B) Serves a…

(1) The presiding judge for a judicial district may establish a court facilitation program to assist litigants in court proceedings other than family law proceedings as provided in ORS 3.428. In developing the program, the presiding judge shall jointly plan with the State Court A…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Individual-provider relationship” includes a relationship between an individual and a physician, a physician associate or nurse practitioner. (b)(A) “Treatment court program” means a program: (i) In which individuals are before the court to obtai…

(1) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall appoint a statewide advisory committee on treatment courts to make recommendations to the Chief Justice on issues relating to the administration, funding, accountability and eligibility criteria for treatment courts. (2) When appoi…