Oregon State Bar Judicial Voters Guide 2016 Judicial Candidate Questionnaire: Judge Version 1) Your full name: Ronald Dean Woltjer 2) Office Address and Phone Number: P.O. Box 1026, Astoria, Oregon 97103 503 741 7380 3) Web site (if applicable): 4) List high school, college and law school attended, including dates of attendance, degrees awarded and your reasons for leaving each school if no degree from that institution was awarded. East Christian High School, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Graduated 1972 Grand Rapids Junior College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Graduated 1974: AA Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. Graduated 1976: BA Northwestern School of Law, Portland, Oregon. Graduated 1982: JD 5) List employment since graduation from law school, including dates employed, your position and the nature of the practice or activity. United Parcel Service, Portland, Oregon. Employed until 1992 Attorney, private practice, Astoria, Oregon 1992-1996 Clatsop County District Attorney s Office, Astoria, Oregon 1996-2007 Municipal Court Judge, Warrenton Oregon, 2007-present Municipal Court Judge pro-tem, Astoria, Oregon, 2007-present Municipal Court Judge, Cannon Beach, Oregon, 2014-present Municipal Court Judge, Seaside, Oregon, 2015-present
6a) List state and federal bars, courts and administrative bodies to which you are presently admitted and the date of admission. Oregon State Bar, admitted in 1990 United States District Court, admitted in 1992 6b) List any previous admissions, including dates, and the reason why you are no longer admitted. 7) List publications and/or articles you have authored. 8) List community, teaching (Continuing Legal Education or otherwise) or civic activities. 9) Prior to your becoming a judge, what was the general character of your legal practice? Indicate the nature of your typical clients and mention any legal areas in which you concentrated. Private practice: Domestic Relations, Bankruptcy, Probate, Criminal Defense District Attorney s Office: misdemeanor and felony prosecution, child support enforcement, Juvenile Court delinquency and dependency cases, presentation of cases to the Grand Jury. 10) List your judicial experience, including as a pro tem, and/or service on an administrative tribunal, or justice, municipal, tax, circuit, or appellate court. See question 5, above
11) Describe the general character of your judicial work over the past five years. Indicate the nature of the cases over which you preside, any specialty courts or court programs, and any legal areas in which you concentrate. Misdemeanor cases, violation cases, and code enforcement matters for the cities of Warrenton, Seaside, Cannon Beach, and pro-tem for the City of Astoria. 12) Describe any judicial experience in appellate courts not included above. 13) State the approximate number of trials or contested hearings over which you have presided as the judicial officer during each of the past five years. Indicate roughly how many were jury trials and how many were trials to the court. One hundred or more court trials per year and approximately one jury trial per year. 14) Describe any experience serving as an arbitrator or mediator. 15) List all bar association memberships, offices held and committee assignments. Oregon State Bar Oregon Municipal Court Judges Association 16) Describe any bar association or judicial department committees, task forces, or special projects in which you have been involved. Board of Governors, Oregon State Bar Local Professional Responsibility Committee (LPRC), Oregon State Bar 17) Have you ever been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violation of any federal, state, county or municipal law, regulation or ordinance? If so, please give details. Do not include parking offenses or traffic violations for which a fine of less than $500 was imposed. No
18) Have you ever been the subject of a formal disciplinary proceeding as an attorney or judge? If so, please give the particulars and the result. Include formal proceedings only. No 19) What attracted you to a judicial career? I find it fulfilling to use my legal skills to aid in the dispute resolution process. 20) Briefly describe your philosophy of the judicial role, the qualities that are most important for the role, and the greatest challenges to the role. A judge must be a good listener, possess an even temperament, be able to apply the facts to the law, and have the ability to explain the decision in such a way that those who are before the Court leave knowing that their concerns were heard and with an understanding of why the Court ruled the way it did. 21) Briefly describe a case, or a legal issue on which you worked, of which you are particularly proud, or which is reflective of your legal ability, work ethic, judicial philosophy, or temperament. I can t think of a specific case that stands out. I see hundreds of people in my courts every year. Each case is important to the parties involved, and I give each matter my full attention. 22) Briefly describe an issue, related to Oregon's justice system, that is of particular interest or concern to you, or that you have interest in working toward improving. People come to court anxious about the process they are about to go through. I believe it is important to give as much information as possible to those who are cited into court regarding the court s procedures, their rights, and their options. 23) Briefly describe a legal figure, personal, fictional or historical, whom you admire and why. As an attorney I appeared before many different judges. The ones who made a positive impression were those who were patient, even tempered,
and willing to take the time necessary to explain their reasoning to the parties. 24) State any other information that you regard as pertinent to your candidacy. I have a broad range of experience as an attorney and now as a judge. I am a good listener, I treat people fairly and with respect, and I follow the law. As a Circuit Court Judge I will work hard and always honor the responsibilities that attach to the office of Circuit Court Judge.