Candidate Statements - Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Position 38

In November, Multnomah County residents will be asked to vote on the open Judicial Vacancy seat in Multnomah County created when Judge Amy Baggio resigned to accept an appointment to the federal bench.

The candidates running for the position filed after the deadline to submit a voters’ pamphlet statement. The MBA does not endorse individual candidates, but we asked the candidates to provide a statement about their qualifications. Our goal in doing so is to inform the electorate by providing information typically found in the voters’ pamphlet.

The statements we received are below.

Jeff Auxier
My name is Jeff Auxier and I hope to be your next Circuit Court Judge. 

20 years ago I went to law school to prosecute domestic violence cases. Today I serve as both the supervisor of the Domestic Violence Unit in the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and as a member of the county’s Family Violence Coordinating Council. I am also a Commissioner on the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission. 

As crime victims, defendants, and everyone who works in the Multnomah County courthouse knows, we must address the backlog of cases. I have the qualifications needed to preside over complex trials on day one, efficiently handle high-volume dockets, and ensure fair trials for all. 

I also bring valuable experience serving as the elected District Attorney of Columbia County. During that time, I made tough decisions that affected individual rights, my community’s safety, and its sense of justice. I also worked to improve the justice system, using my position to defend the rights of the wrongfully convicted and created a citizens review committee to take a closer look at old cases. Throughout my career, I have been willing to challenge my way of thinking in a way that will lead to fairer outcomes for all parties, if I’m elected judge of the circuit court.

I returned to Portland to work as a prosecutor because I love this city and I love the Multnomah County courthouse. There is a sense that all of us – the lawyers, the judges, court clerks, the jail deputies – are in this together. As a judge, I would encourage more in-person meetings – something which dropped off due to COVID – to increase compromise, expedite resolutions, and deepen working relationships between criminal law practitioners. I think it is so important that our judges feel a sense of equality and commonality with every corner of our criminal ecosystem in Multnomah County. The pandemic changed some procedures that have impacted this sense of community, and as a judge I am very excited to play a role in bringing this sense of community back.

I am proud of the 50+ endorsements I have received from judges, elected leaders, and members of the legal community to-date, which include:

Tom Dwyer
Statement not received.

Jennifer L. Myrick
Dear Multnomah County Bar Association,

My name is Jennifer L. Myrick, and I am a full-time public defense attorney. I began my trial attorney career in Multnomah County’s District Attorney’s Office. There I was taught the importance of charging decisions, victim advocacy, and the downstream impacts of poverty, mental illness, and addiction. After graduating Lewis & Clark Law School, I was employed by the United States Attorney’s Office as a Specialist, assisting in the prosecution of violent crimes including sex trafficking. In this arena I was made aware there is more to a person than police reports and indictment allegations. If I want to truly help the people in my community I need to “cross the aisle” and become a defense attorney.

In 2017, I began representing individuals accused of crimes in the criminal justice system, focusing specifically on undocumented and Spanish-speaking clients. In the courtroom, empowering those who were often terrified of the court and law enforcement is when I knew this was my calling. Since then, I have represented individuals in thousands of matters from arraignment to “not guilty” verdicts. My colleagues appreciate my reasonableness in negotiations, drawing upon my toolbox filled with knowledge of prosecution and defense work.

I have the endorsements of housing advocates, mental health providers, and addiction experts. Because of the national trend in continuous cutbacks in social services our courtrooms have become the access point for the public. We need to embrace this shift and become the hub of provider conversations to better serve our community.

For those that are not familiar with the entire role of public defense providers, we often find housing for our clients in addition to mental health services and addiction treatment. That is why I believe a public defense attorney is best suited for Multnomah County Circuit Court at this time.

With the ongoing public defense crisis, I intend to start a conversation in the courthouse and legislature for a cultural shift in how we treat public defense providers. No more judicial or prosecutorial admonishments of public defense attorneys that are doing the most with what little resources they have. Certainly, we must stop seeing public defense attorneys as disposable and less trustworthy than their prosecutorial counterparts. This attitude got us here. Today, there are over 3,600 individuals accused of crimes without an attorney. With a cultural shift, we will retain the providers we have and hopefully attract more to this rewarding profession.

I am running to offer pragmatic solutions to Multnomah County’s crises. Instead of directing individuals to other agencies or relying upon overextended public defense attorneys to be the gate to social services, I want to make the Court the solution so our County may heal. If you want to see positive change and “A Justice for All” please vote for me, Jennifer L. Myrick.

Rachel Philips
I have been representing crime victims and individuals accused of crimes ranging from misdemeanor to murder in Oregon since 2005. I’ve been an Animal Hearings Officer for Multnomah County since 2022. I began my career as a staff attorney at Metropolitan Public Defender in downtown Portland and after leaving in 2014, went on to represent clients in nine counties across Oregon.

I went to law school after my own experience with the court system when my Mom passed away from cancer. My two older sisters challenged my mother’s will, and it took three years in civil court to sort out. Even though I had legal representation, it was so painful and frustrating I wanted to become a lawyer to make sure no one else would feel as helpless and overwhelmed as I had been. I have always been driven by a sense of fairness (some of which comes from growing up playing team sports), and that has motivated me to help anyone — most of all victims — navigate their way through the justice system with dignity and a sense they have been listened to. My hope is they land in a place where they can move on with their lives and not be devastated by the experience.

I am running for judge because the current crisis in criminal defense hasn't gotten better in the last five years. It's gotten worse because we keep re-electing the same people even though they don't fix the problem. There is no question that one solution to the problem is to find a way to resolve cases more efficiently. That's better for victims, and it frees up defense attorneys to take more cases. I testified to the Oregon Legislature in February of 2024 that, “Delay of serious cases has an overwhelmingly horrible impact for crime victims.” I am the only candidate who has consistently advocated for fixing our broken system. Voters should be leery of electing anyone who has been in a position to fix the problem but has failed to do so.  

I have never been a part of the system. I grew up in modest circumstances, always had to work to get through school, and went to law school at age 36 after personally seeing how badly the system treats people. I have always channeled my anger into making things better for people, and have been highly successful in doing so. Unusual among defense attorneys, I win most of my trials, and when I have not, most of those convictions were reversed on appeal.  But most of all, I have settled cases effectively, bringing resolution to victims and defendants alike.  

My overwhelming motivation has been to help people, and I have fought hard for my clients, whether they are criminal defendants or crime victims. Having that experience as an advocate, as well as an individual who experienced the court system first-hand, uniquely qualifies me for the position of Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge.

John E. Schlosser
EDUCATION
Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR
J.D., May 2010 – Certificate in Criminal Law and Procedure
Jessup International Moot Court: Best Brief 2009 - Mid-Atlantic Super Regional; Honor Board
Public Interest Law Project - stipend recipient, 2008
Lewis & Clark Law School Pro Bono Honors Award, 2008

EXPERIENCE

John E. Schlosser, Attorney, LLC, Portland and St Helens, OR – Attorney, 9/2018-present
Indigent defense contractor in Columbia County – Represent criminal defendants in misdemeanor and felony matters.
Privately retained matters – pro bono and low bono criminal defense representation of immigrants and protestors, as well as civil rights litigation.

Dickison Law, LLC, Portland, OR – Associate Attorney, 7/2013-7/2018
Indigent defense contractor in Multnomah County – Represent criminal defendants in misdemeanor and felony matters.
Privately retained matters – criminal, personal injury, civil rights, and domestic relations matters.

The VanderMay Law Firm, Salem, OR - Associate Attorney, 6/2011-6/2013
Handled a wide variety of personal injury, civil litigation, criminal defense, domestic relations, business law, estate planning, and probate matters.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association – Member since 2009; former Board member
OSB House of Delegates – 2017-2020, 2022-present
OGALLA - Member
Pueblo Unido PDX (non-profit) – Board member
Repatriate Our Patriots (non-profit) – Co-founder; former Board member

PRESENTATIONS
2016 – Oregon Association of Licensed Investigators - Working with Attorneys on Domestic Violence & Violation of Restraining Order Cases
2017 – Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association – Q & A – ICE and your clients
2018 – Washington County Bar Association – Representing Immigrants in the Age of Trump: Ethical Floors and Best Practices

With that out of the way:
To my knowledge, I am the only candidate with practice experience outside of criminal law. I have general civil litigation, domestic relations, contract, and landlord-tenant practice experience. Hopefully that will give civil practitioners some comfort. Additionally, as a child crime victim, and a criminal defense attorney, I can see both sides of criminal matters.

I believe that compassion is the number one characteristic of a good judge, and I am basing that on my observations of judges over my 14 years of practice. Whether it is in a settlement conference, or sentencing, having all parties know that they have not only been listened to, but also been heard, leads to better resolutions and greater confidence in our legal system.

Finally, I spoke about this issue during my campaign in 2020, and I go into more detail on my website (www.votejohnforjudge.com), but my experience as a crime victim and a defense attorney has proven one thing to me, time and time again - we need to have a permanent, restorative justice court in Multnomah County. I believe that all of the candidates agree that reducing recidivism is crucial to our justice system, and to our society. Much of the criminal justice system, however, leaves both victim and defendant feeling unheard, and without an ability to heal themselves and the community at large. A restorative justice mindset, and restorative justice court creates more opportunity to, not only, hold people accountable, but also to allow for healing, and to reduce recidivism.