Joe Charter vs. Lisa Greif. The endorsement contest.

Oregon Judge elections are non-partisan.

Joe Charter

Joe Charter is getting the support of both prominent Democrats and Republicans.

We don't have Republican judges and Democratic judges. The idea is that judges serve the interest of justice itself, not a partisan policy point of view. 

Yet we elect our judges. 

Typically they are a popularity or name familiarity contest between two barely known candidates, and voters make their decision based on the vaguest of information. In partisan races, the D or R is a presumed summary of that candidate's view of the world, a big signal. In non-partisan judge races, without that signal, endorsements matter more. Voters look for cues from people presumably knowledgeable about the candidates and issues involved. Lawyers. Public officials.

The surprise is Charter's endorsement by elected officials. There are good reasons for public officials to stay out of judicial races. Why risk making enemies? Yet Charter has lined up a long list of elected officials who stepped up to endorse him in a contested race. 

He is endorsed by both Sen.Jeff Golden (D) and former Senator Alan DeBoer (R). 

By both former Rep. Peter Buckley (D) and current Rep. Kim Wallan (R). 

By both former County Commissioner David Gilmour (D) and former County Commissioner John Rachor (R). 

He shows endorsements from mayors of several local cities whose communities have settled into well known partisan leans, Democratic Ashland and Republican Central Point.

This is unusual in this period of heightened partisanship. It is presumably net-net a big positive, but there are risks. It is possible that voters dislike a given officeholder with more intensity than they respect an officeholder of the other party. The elected officials cared enough to take the risk. Joe Charter took that risk. 

https://judgejoecharter.com/endorsements.html

Search results for "Lisa Greif judge campaign."

The "top of mind" problem for Lisa Greif. What voters are most likely to remember about Lisa Greif is that she wrote crazy texts that imagined killing and body slamming a colleague. Other texts that get her in trouble show her organizing litigants to share "dirt" with media "moles" to pressure an agency doing the work of her court--OnTrack--to increase its settlement offer to her litigant friend. It seems wrong at first glance, even to non-lawyers and judges. 

Retired Judge Phil Arnold thought so, too. He and veteran attorney Michael Brian filed an official complaint with the Oregon Judicial Fitness Commission.

Greif may well win re-election anyway. Incumbency is normally a giant advantage. Voters trust the judgement of prior voters. Greif's yard signs say "Re-elect Judge Lisa Greif."  Voters may be more aware of incumbency than her texts. 

Greif has defenders who say her texts were intended to be private and the behavior they revealed kept secret. Her colleague Lorenzo Mejia writes that Greif's texts, with their talk of killing, body slamming, witches, bitches, fuckers, gathering dirt, and media moles, were "at least in part, in jest." He makes a distinction, saying while it is "technically true" that the litigant she was assisting was suing her own court, that Greif and other judges had recused themselves as the judges on that suit. Possibly this defense will matter to some voters. It did not to Judge Arnold.

What will voters remember about this race?

Many will remember Greif is the incumbent.

Some will notice the placement of lawn signs and endorsement materials, and will remember that Joe Charter has the endorsement from both Democrats and Republicans, and they will think that a good thing. Some may consider it a negative.

Possibly they agree with Judge Mejia.

I think the most likely impression is that Judge Greif did something that got her in big trouble with some texts that show she said weird things, and did things she wasn't supposed to do, and that she was embarrassed about it. It got the local newspaper to urge her to resign. It is top of mind for Google and possibly top of mind for voters.

Here is Joe Charter's Facebook page:   https://www.facebook.com/judgejoecharter/    

Here is Lisa Greif's: https://www.facebook.com/judgelisa.greif.9



Note: I get enough warnings from attorneys that I am making trouble for myself and my attorney wife that I need to add, once again, that no one but me decides what goes into this blog. Not my wife. She has her own life.

Let me also note that I donated $500 to Lisa Greif's campaign back in 2008 but I am very disappointed in her and think it best for her to be replaced. I have not yet made a contribution to Joe Charter's campaign, but I suppose I should.

Joe Charter just emailed me to say, "For the record, I was never asked by Crain or Sullivan to run for judge."  (Lorenzo Mejia had stated they had done so in his op-ed in the newspaper.)