Legal Citizen of the Year Honorees

Judge Angel Lopez attended law school at Willamette University. As a scholarship student, he understood that many people had invested in his future, and following his law schoolmotto, “It is not unto ourselves we are born,” he embarked on a career marked by public engagement and community service, beginning as President of the law school’s Minority Student Association.

After finishing law school, Judge Lopez’s first job was as the Affirmative Action Director for the Oregon State Bar. There, he worked to promote diversity by working with students of color from high school through law school, offering financial aid support, work study opportunities, and placement assistance for young lawyers. Judge Lopez then accepted employment with the Metropolitan Public Defender’s office, where he became the youngest attorney in their major crimes unit.

From the Public Defender’s office, he and his wife Wendy opened their firm, Squires & Lopez. Together, they provided court appointed criminal defense and plaintiff’s privately retained personal injury matters, specializing in representing Spanish-speaking clients. In 2009, Judge Lopez was appointed to the bench by Governor Ted Kulongoski. During his tenure, he presided over two treatment courts: Drug Court and Mental Health Court. Additionally, he presided over hundreds of cases, both civil and criminal – from motion practice to settlement conferences to trials.

Judge Lopez has been an active volunteer and leader in the community. Some of his activities include:

President, Oregon State Bar
We the People and Moot Court Competition Judge
Legal Advisor to the Mexican Consulate in Portland
Chair, Oregon State Bar Affirmative Action Committee
Committee Member, Oregon Hispanic Bar Association
Board of Trustees, Oregon Historical Society
Oregon Commission on Bench/Bar Professionalism
Speaker, Conference of Western Attorney Generals – US & Mexico Relations
2011 Oregon Convocation on Equality Steering Committee
Federal U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal Appointment Committee
Member, Governor’s Interview Committee, Oregon Supreme Court Candidate Selection
Member, Federal District Court Magistrate Selection Committee

Mara & Rob Shlachter have been involved with Civics Learning Project for over 25 years. After moving to Portland in the early 90s, Rob began coaching Mock Trial in 1995. Mara joined him a year later to coach together at Catlin Gabel, then at Lincoln High School. They have led several teams to state finals, including four state champion teams. Over the years, they have coached and mentored more than 300 Oregon high school students through their involvement with the Mock Trial program, some of whom have gone on to coach Mock Trial or Constitution Teams, including several who returned to coach the Lincoln team with Rob and Mara. The Shlachters keep in touch with many of the students they’ve worked with, and enjoy hosting annual Mock Trial team reunions every December.

Rob, an accomplished mediator, arbitrator, and trial lawyer, has been at the law firm Stoll Berne since 1991, and is a shareholder at the firm. A graduate of Yale University and Georgetown University Law Center, he was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2009, and is the former president of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. In 2018, Rob received the Oregon State Bar’s 21st Annual Owen M. Panner Professionalism Award which recognizes both personal and professional qualities, reputation, and conduct.

Mara received her BSN from UCLA in 1971, and worked as a surgical nurse and reproductive rights advocate for many years. She retired from nursing in the 1980s, and focused her time, talent, and leadership abilities on developing youth programs such as KOALA, an afterschool K-6 enrichment program; and the JCC Maccabi Youth Games Portland Delegation, an international Olympic-style sporting event for Jewish teens. In addition, Mara is an accomplished Judaic artist, creating custom work for individuals, synagogues, and galleries across the United States and Canada.

The Shlachters are active philanthropists in the Portland area, sharing their time, resources, and expertise with a number of organizations and projects focused on helping youth and young adults gain the skills and confidence to seek bright futures for themselves. Mara and Rob received the Maurice D. Sussman Award in 2012 for their contributions to the Portland Jewish and greater community, and were honored for their work in the community by Hillel of Greater Portland in 2018.

The Shlachters have two children, David and Jenna, who were both active participants in the Oregon High School Mock Trial program at Catlin Gabel and Lincoln High School. As a family, the Shlachters spent several months volunteering in Montevideo, Uruguay, teaching English, art, basketball and rugby to young community members, as well as creating several programs and ensuring their sustainability by training teachers and parent volunteers. David now lives with his wife Orlee and their three children (Sigal, Zev & Mili) in Mill Valley, CA; Jenna lives in Truckee, CA with her husband Tim and their dog Stormy.

Chief Justice Martha L. Walters has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to civic engagement and equal access to the law. She was elected by her colleagues as Oregon’s 44th Chief Justice – the first woman to hold the position – and began service on July 1, 2018. Before joining the court as an Associate Justice in 2006, Chief Justice Walters practiced law for almost 30 years, emphasizing employment law and civil litigation as well as general civil practice. In 2007, she was elected to a two-year term as the first woman president of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. A member of the Oregon State Bar since 1977, Chief Justice Walters has served in leadership positions and on many bar committees and task forces. She is a regular speaker, instructor, and author on the law and law improvement, along with teaching law school classes, speaking at continuing legal education programs, and teaching for the Sakhalin/Oregon Rule of Law partnership.

A lifelong resident of Portland, Oregon, Congressman Earl Blumenauer is one of Oregon’s innovative leaders. Raised in SE Portland, Earl attended Centennial High School. While still a college student at Lewis and Clark College, he led the campaign in Oregon to lower the voting age. He was a key player just two years later as one of the youngest legislators in Oregon’s history in a landmark session for school funding, ethics reform and Oregon’s groundbreaking land use laws.

As a Multnomah County Commissioner and member of the Portland City Council, Earl’s innovative accomplishments in transportation with light rail, bicycles and the street car, planning and environmental programs and public participation helped Portland earn an international reputation as one of America’s most livable cities.

Elected to the US House of Representatives in 1996, Earl has been a tireless advocate for the 3rd Congressional District. He’s recognized for his creative, innovative policies and accomplishments, and also his political leadership in Oregon and nationwide. He tackles controversial issues and finds ways to break ideological and partisan gridlock with a unique approach to problem solving that brings people together.

He is currently a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Chairman of the subcommittee on Trade and a member of the subcommittee on Health. These assignments give Earl a unique platform to promote critical issues like Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. Earl has been a champion for rebuilding and renewing our nation’s infrastructure, economic security for families, protection of public lands, stopping gun violence, ending the prohibition of marijuana, and criminal justice reform.

What do you get when you combine a lifelong thirst for knowledge, a passionate commitment to public service, and a deep appreciation for the systems of democracy? If you’re very lucky, you wind up with someone like Jim Carter. A native of Pendleton, Oregon, Jim went to Stanford for his BA in economics then returned to Oregon, where his has made his career and home. Everywhere he has gone, his charm, character, and dedication have earned him leadership roles.

• Managing Shareholder, Schulte, Anderson
• VP and General Counsel, Nike, Inc.
• Chair, Port of Portland Commission

This work has never kept Jim from pursuing his passion for civic engagement and education. He joined the CLP board in 1999 and has served as chair. Throughout his service, he has nurtured new board members, reinforcing the commitments of community. Recognizing the power of inspirational teachers, he helped establish the Civic Educator of the Year award. Jim’s dedication has worked to expand CLP’s reach around the state, inspiring lawyers, community members, and teachers while providing students with a personal model of what civic participation means.

Justice Linde has been a dedicated teacher, scholar, and judge, making significant contributions to American jurisprudence in all these roles. A lot has been said about Hans Linde. Here is a sample:

“Energizer bunny of public law”

“The unassuming architect for state constitutions”

“A state judicial entrepreneur”

“A pioneering figure in state constitutional law”

“Justice Linde had authored opinions that literally redefined this state’s law pertaining to criminal law, religion, free speech, state preemption of local authority, gubernatorial authority, justiciability and judicial authority, privileges and immunities, and zoning. And that refers only to the opinions he authored.”

“Linde’s constitutionalism became a part of the fabric of Oregon constitutional law.”

“His publications include a course book on legislative and administrative processes and more than 75 articles, lectures and reviews.”

Whether a rabbit, architect, entrepreneur, pioneer, or author, we can all agree that there is a giant in our midst. Congratulations, Hans, on being named the Legal Citizen of the Year!

Having tested the waters in the East, Midwest, and West, we are happy to report that the West has won.

Tom Balmer’s roots are deepest in Oregon. There were the early years when Tom learned at the knee of his political science professor father and messed with his brothers in their Portland home. In later life, Tom found meaning hiking around Mt. Hood and helping Goose Hollow’s homeless.

 College in Ohio and law school in Chicago provided important stepping stones, and early lawyering in Boston and Washington, D.C., had their allure. But Tom came back to Oregon where he was soon joined by Mary Louise, a fellow Oregonian. After 31 years of marriage and two terrific children, Tom’s Oregon roots now span another generation.

The comfort and completeness that this place provides for Tom, makes his work in our courts better. He is our Chief Justice and he recognizes the diversity of individual circumstances. Tom understands that, whether it’s on behalf of a corporation or a homeless individual, a just and accessible court system is central to our democracy.

The bench, the bar, the community, the West – we all win with him here. Congratulations, Tom!

A nurturer, a builder – of young minds, communities and courthouses. That is Nan Waller and that is her calling.

Nan (tonight we call her Nan) is the 2015 Jonathan U. Newman Legal Citizen. Attorney, juvenile court referee, family court judge, presiding judge of the old courthouse and champion of the new one, and tender of beautiful gardens, Nan embodies the spirit of this award named for the late Judge Newman. Like flowers blossoming in the full light of the sun, Nan has helped countless children and families awaken to new and better futures.

A commitment to children, to the law, and to making our communities stronger by working together – these are the threads we weave. It is what Judge Newman modeled, it is how Nan lives, and it is Civics Learning Project’s mission. Nan’s unparalleled commitment, sincerity, support, insight, foresight, tenacity and strength have made our community stronger.

Thank you, Nan, for making a difference – a big one. We salute you!

So many firsts. Oregon’s first Solicitor General in 1969. Oregon’s first director of Department of Human Services in 1971. Oregon’s first new seat to the Court of Appeals in 1973 – and, yes, he went on to serve on Oregon’s Supreme Court, as well.

Jake Tanzer’s most memorable first, however, came in 1964. In rural Mississippi, three civil rights workers were murdered for helping blacks register to vote. Jake, as a part of a team from the U.S. Department of Justice, set out to Mississippi to make things right. He got the first civil rights criminal conspiracy indictments for acts by whites against blacks. Tonight we tell that story.

Tonight we honor the work of Jake Tanzer. From the Pacific Northwest to the Deep South and back again, Jake is the embodiment of the Jonathan U. Newman Legal Citizen award. Jake’s service and commitment remind us what a difference one person can make. We are grateful.

Thank you, Jake!

NOTE: Judge Tanzer passed away on July 23, 2018.

“The power to shape Oregon’s future remains where it has always been – in our collective hands.”  –Ted Kulongoski

Ted’s (tonight we can call him Ted) observation is another way of underscoring Civics Learning Project’s mission, that is, to build strong communities by creating active citizens. Who better then to honor as Legal Citizen of the Year than Governor Ted Kulongoski?

Ted is, after all, the face of public service in Oregon. He served in the Marines and demonstrated what semper fi really means by attending the funerals of Oregon’s fallen soldiers. ­ He served in the state legislature, Supreme Court and, of course, as governor. It is an unmatched trifecta to be elected to these offices in all three branches of government. He had a few stops along the way in his law firms and as Oregon’s Insurance Commissioner and Attorney General. A public servant with astute legal and political insight, Ted personifies the spirit of the Jonathan U. Newman Legal Citizen of the Year.

With profound thanks, Governor, for your extraordinary service to Oregon and a hardy congratulations for this well-deserved honor!