To the editor:
We are fortunate in Oregon to elect our judges. Circuit court judges are not appointed for life and are accountable to the people. This month we have an opportunity to choose a new judge. I am asking all of Lincoln County to join me in voting to elect Russell Baldwin as circuit court judge.
I’ve been an attorney since 2007. I practice throughout Oregon, but primarily in Lincoln County for the past 11 years. I live in Lincoln County and I’ve raised my family here. Many of you will know me from schools, sports (I coached soccer for years), scouts, or the courthouse. I have known Russell Baldwin since I first came to town. He has always been a friendly face, a thoughtful ear, and an extremely intelligent attorney.
I have appeared before Circuit Judge Sheryl Bachart thousands of times. I’ve had dozens of full jury trials, hundreds of criminal case, commitments, divorces, lawsuits and countless status hearings.
Baldwin has spent his career representing people, being that knight in shining armor when someone needed a hero. Russell Baldwin is not beholden to the usual power brokers in Lincoln County. Elections allow us to choose our judges. Russell Baldwin will bring integrity, honesty, and most importantly independence to the bench — all admirable qualities for a new judge.
I follow the news. There are some absurd claims in some letters to the editor that need to be rebutted.
One writer says she does not know any trial attorneys that think Sheryl Bachart is not an extraordinary judge or can honestly say she is anything but fair. Well, allow me to introduce myself: David Beal, trial attorney. Oregon law allows for a judge to be removed from a case with the filing of an affidavit from a party or attorney. For the past several years, on each case assigned to Judge Bachart, I have signed a sworn statement and filed it with the court that I do not believe any party can get a fair hearing before her. I sign these personally, as an officer of the court, and do not take it lightly.
I’m not the only attorney in town to file these affidavits removing Judge Bachart from cases, but I’ll let other attorneys speak for themselves. Public defenders have been taken off cases in this county for filing these affidavits (and thus taught a lesson).
Another writer states “Judge Bachart does not create bad case law.”
I invite that writer to run a quick search on appeals cases. I count 30 times the Oregon Court of Appeals has visited a Bachart ruling. That is nearly three times the number of appellate opinions for Judge Branford in the same time. More troubling is that none of the appeals on Judge Bachart was it the prosecution appealing. It was always the defense appealing. Some 25 of the 30 opinions are reversals. Most of these reversals were for illegal sentences or not allowing the defense to make legal arguments.
We are fortunate in Oregon to elect our judges. Elections are an opportunity for us to hold judges accountable. I enthusiastically endorse Russell Baldwin for judge.
— David Beal, Newport