NEWS RELEASE
February 16, 2024
Media Contact:
Anca Matica, Press Secretary for Governor Tina Kotek
Anca.Matica@Oregon.Gov
Governor Kotek Appoints Judges to the Multnomah County Circuit Court
Salem, OR — Governor Tina Kotek announced that she will appoint Pamela Haan and Christine (Chris) Martin to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Haan will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Michael S. Loy, and Martin will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Kathryn L. Villa-Smith. Both positions will be assigned to the court’s Family Law Department. The appointments are effective immediately.
“Pam Haan and Chris Martin have dedicated their careers to serving the most vulnerable in our community,” Governor Kotek said. “I look forward to seeing each of them bring their significant family law expertise and commitment to justice for every community member to the family law bench.”
Pamela Haan (she/her) has spent the entirety of her 24-year legal career as a legal aid attorney, most recently serving as a supervising attorney at Legal Aid Services of Oregon Portland Regional Office. Haan earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Washington University in St. Louis and her law degree from Lewis & Clark College Law School. In addition to her legal work, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Multnomah County Family Violence Coordinating Council, of which she is also a past chair, and the Domestic and Sexual Violence Continuum Leadership Council. She served on the Multnomah County Circuit Court Family Court Enhancement Project Management Team from 2014 to 2018. Haan has also been a part of the Multnomah County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team, the Multnomah County Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team Steering Committee, and the Clackamas County Vicarious Trauma Response Initiative.
Chris Martin (she/her) is a public defender at Multnomah Defenders, Inc., where she represents children and families in juvenile cases. Martin graduated from Marylhurst University and earned her law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School. After law school, Martin clerked for Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Diana Stuart. Afterward, Martin joined St. Andrew Legal Clinic as a staff attorney, where Martin served low-income Oregonians in family law cases. Martin also worked as an adjunct faculty member at Portland Community College from 2018 to 2021. In addition to her current work as a public defender, Martin volunteers with the Multnomah County Children’s Representation Project, representing children in high-conflict divorce cases, and for the St. Andrew Legal Clinic Night Clinic.
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