After 32 years on the bench, Lincoln County Circuit Judge Thomas Branford has announced his retirement effective Feb. 28.
Under state law, Branford was required to retire during the year he reaches age 75.
Branford announced his retirement in a Jan. 6 letter to Gov. Kate Brown, whose office will now oversee an appointment to fill his position.
Lincoln County has three elected judges – Branford, Sheryl Bachart, and Marcia Buckley, who was appointed to another vacancy last January and elected in November. Amanda Benjamin is serving on a one-year state contract as a pro-tem judge.
Branford was first elected as a district court judge in 1989, and became a circuit judge in 1996. He was last elected to a six-year term in May 2018. He has been the court’s presiding judge for eight years.
Although Brown will appoint Branford’s replacement, the position will be up for election in 2022.
Candidates can file by March 8, 2022, according to Lincoln County Clerk Dana Jenkins. If one or two candidates file, they would skip the May 2022 primary election and meet in the November general election. If three or more file, they would all appear on the May ballot and the top two would go on to the November general election, unless one candidate receives more than 50 percent, when the top vote-getter would go on alone to the general election. It would be for a new, 6-year term.
The governor said people interested in the judicial appointment have until Feb. 1 to complete an application. Appointees must be members of the Oregon State Bar and can live in Lincoln County or adjacent judicial districts.