Paul J. De Muniz | |
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Paul De Muniz in 2009
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41st Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court | |
In office 2006–2012 |
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Preceded by | Wallace P. Carson, Jr. |
Succeeded by | Thomas A. Balmer |
95th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court | |
In office 2001–2013 |
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Preceded by | George Van Hoomissen |
Succeeded by | David V. Brewer |
Judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals | |
In office 1990–2000 |
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Appointed by | Neil Goldschmidt |
Preceded by | Susan P. Graber |
Succeeded by | David Schuman |
Personal details | |
Born |
Glendale, California |
June 8, 1947
Spouse(s) | Mary De Muniz |
Paul J. De Muniz (born June 8, 1947) is a retired American judge in the state of Oregon. He is the first Hispanic Chief Justice in the history of the Oregon Supreme Court. He was elected to the court in 2000, and elected as Chief Justice in 2006. He won re-election in May 2006 for another six-year term on the state's highest court. De Muniz previously served on the Oregon Court of Appeals for ten years.
Born in June 8, 1947, in Glendale, California, De Muniz’s family lived there until Paul turned six when the family relocated to Portland, Oregon. In Portland, he attended Harvey Scott Elementary in the Roseway Neighborhood and graduated from Madison High School in Northeast Portland. After graduating from high school in 1965 De Muniz served time in the Air Force, including time in Vietnam during the war. De Muniz enrolled at Portland State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1972. He completed his education in 1975 after graduating from Willamette University College of Law in Salem with a JD. At Willamette he was an associate editor of the school's law review publication.
After law school, De Muniz began a public legal career as a state deputy public defender and later as a special prosecutor for Douglas County, Oregon. He also was in private practice in Salem at the firm of Garrett, Seideman, Hemann, Robertson & De Muniz. While in private practice, De Muniz was the primary attorney responsible for working to overturn the conviction of Santiago Ventura Morales’ murder conviction. Morales, a migrant farm worker from Mexico, was convicted in 1986 of killing a fellow farm worker. He was only given a Spanish interpreter to assist in the language barrier, however his primary language was Mixtec. On appeal it was shown that Morales was not the killer and he was released in a national watched incident. After release Morales was given a scholarship to the University of Portland and graduated with a degree in social work.