Clackamas County violated a woman’s constitutional rights by agreeing to hold her for federal immigration authorities without probable cause, a local federal judge has ruled. That decision, issued on Friday by a US Magistrate Judge in Portland, thrilled local immigrant rights advocates and has the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office scrambling to update its policies. And […]
Courts
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Judge Calls Out Union President, Ties Approval of Police Reforms to Increased Court Oversight
The federal judge overseeing Portland’s police reform settlement with the US Department of Justice said he was ready to approve the deal this morning—but only if he got his way on an 11th-hour procedural change meant to increase the court’s oversight of how the reforms play out in the coming years. The change submitted by […]
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Multnomah County: When Can We Start Marrying Same-Sex Couples Again?
Multnomah County is among the defendants in a pair of federal lawsuits challenging Oregon’s 2004 ban on same-sex marriage. Right now, because of that ban, county officials have a policy of saying no to any and all same-sex couples seeking a marriage license. But just like the attorney general’s office—which announced last month that it […]
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If You Oppose Marriage Equality Because You Support the “Profoundly Good Institution” of Marriage, You’re a Hypocrite
The National Organization for Marriage predictably hates Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s decision not to defend Oregon’s same-sex marriage ban in court, calling it “shameful.” In a statement, the group couches its distaste in terms of support for the institution of marriage. But don’t believe it. It’s really just that they think LGBTQ people and the […]
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BREAKING: Oregon Won’t Defend Its Same-Sex Marriage Ban in Court
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed paperwork today making clear her office won’t defend Oregon’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage—answering two lawsuits challenging the ban in federal court that are on track for a ruling later this year. The definitive statement comes near the end of the seven-page court document filed by Rosenblum’s office. And […]
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This Year, Everyone Is Trying to Unmask Anonymous Commenters in Court
Juliet Linderman at NOLA.com says: The attorney for former New Orleans Affordable Homeownership Director Stacey Jackson is seeking private information from NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune about two anonymous online commenters. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Wilkinson granted a request Tuesday (Jan. 21) from Jackson, who faces federal corruption charges, to subpoena NOLA Media Group for information […]
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Even Without City Money, Prosecutor Will Keep Enforcing Drug Exclusions
A cash-saving gambit that jeopardized a drug enforcement policy popular with Portland businesses has paid off for Mayor Charlie Hales. For now. Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill tells the Mercury he has decided to continue support of the city’s Drug Impact Area (DIA) program. Underhill had been weighing in recent months whether to keep […]
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An Uptick in Arrests has County Jails Bleeding Felons
Niv Bavarsky The people working on Multnomah County’s jail overcrowding problem are quick to say there’s no easy explanation for how the jail population’s gotten so unwieldy. As discussed in today’s issue of the Mercury, emergency releases from overcrowding shot from 82 in 2011 to more-than 900 in 2012. By the end of May this […]
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Drug Zone Prosecutions Will Continue, For Now
Portland’s Drug Impact Areas are safe for the summer. As the Mercury reported this week, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill has been weighing whether to pull staff from the program, which bans drug offenders from hanging around Portland’s busiest drug zones. The city has been footing the bill for dedicated prosecutor, who ensures certain […]
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Portland’s Public Defenders Get Meager Pay. This Bill Would Help.
Multnomah County public defenders play an important role, ensuring the poorest among us receive a competent defense. It’s an often-thankless job, with demanding hours and, frequently, difficult clients. And relative to their counterparts in the prosecutor’s office, the city’s public defenders are paid peanuts. The divide has widened in recent decades to a point where […]
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Beth Ditto Pleaded No Contest This Morning
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office LAST UPDATE ON THIS 5:30 pm: Bystanders cheered when Ditto was taken into custody, according to the full police report on the incident. Read it here [PDF]. ORIGINAL STORY: Beth Ditto has been convicted of disorderly conduct, following an incident this weekend where the Gossip singer drunkenly held up traffic on Mississippi […]
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Guilty Verdict in Mohamed Mohamud Trial
Mohamed Mohamud, the young Somali-American accused of trying to blow up Portland’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Pioneer Courthouse Square more than two years, has been found guilty today of attempting to detonate a weapon of mass destruction. The Oregonian has a pretty quickly topped story up right now on the verdict, announced just after […]