Compassion, 'Tone and Tenor' - The Source

Since Deschutes County Circuit Court Judge Bethany Flint resigned in late July, six candidates have launched campaign committees in hopes of filling that Position 3 seat. (One has since declined to run; another was not qualified.)

Several of the candidates the Source spoke with said that many constituents, when hearing about the upcoming judge race, echoed a similar sentiment: Since when do we vote for judges?

The confusion is understandable, since contested judge races are relatively rare. This race, for example, is the first such instance since the May 2014 Primary Election.

In most lead-ups to an election, journalists get busy asking candidates about their platform, current issues and past victories.

But in a judge race, things are different, since judge candidates, by law, can’t offer a broad opinion on a matter that may come before them in court.

That means enlightening questions — such as, Do you think corporations are people? Does life begin at conception? and Should coal-rolling diesel smoke from a sweet vintage American 4×4 pickup truck count as a form of assault? — are all off the table.

So in lieu of more specific questions, we posed a couple mental diversions: Which Constitutional amendments would you keep, odds or evens? And spill the tea on the best lawyer movie.

Thaddeus Betz (thaddeusbetzforjudge.com)

Betz has a background in civil rights, criminal defense and juvenile justice. Meeting at the Source office, Betz said he’s running because he believes in a strong and independent judiciary.

“I think we have maybe forgotten how important that is, and the events of late have reminded us how important the judicial branch of government is,” Betz said. “At the end of the day, the court system functions to uphold the Constitution, to enforce the laws as written.”

Court, Betz says, is the final place for citizens to go to both enforce their rights and seek protection from people trying to infringe on them. Betz says he feels compelled to run because he’s argued in courtrooms throughout Oregon, in federal court and in circuit court in remote corners, such as Harney and Grant counties.

“I’ve seen a lot of different judges interact with parties and lawyers, both at the trial and appellate levels, and in the Oregon Supreme Court,” Betz said. “I think that has informed me how much the tone and tenor that a judge displays can impact the humans going through the legal system. Court cases aren’t numbers, they’re people. They’re entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Betz distinguishes himself from the candidate field by pointing to his endorsements, which come from four current Oregon Supreme Court justices, including Justice Roger DeHoog, who previously served as a Deschutes County Circuit Court judge.

Constitutional Odds or Evens: Betz laughed.

“That’s really hard because who would ever want to part with the First or the Fifth Amendments?” Betz said. “The Seventh Amendment is really important: It’s how plaintiffs get juries.”

Betz added that the Fourth Amendment, which protects people from illegal searches and seizures, is indispensable, as well. Oh, don’t forget about the 14th Amendment, which grants equal protection under the law and is the foundation of the Voting Rights Act.

Favorite Lawyer Movie: “Just Mercy,” which does a “good job demonstrating the challenges representing under-resourced clients and venues that are hostile and biased against them.”

Raun Atkinson (raunforjudge.com)

Presently a criminal defense attorney and owner of Atlas Law Group, Atkinson has practiced law working both sides of the criminal justice system. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, which involved deployments to Japan and Iraq, he began his law career in 2013 as a Crook County prosecutor. He advanced to Chief Deputy District Attorney before leaving in 2021. He began practicing criminal law in Bend that same year. Atkinson says having worked both sides of criminal cases suits him well.

“I think it’s important for a judge to be able to not be biased one way or another,” he said. “I’ve seen judges come to the bench with one perspective and at times it feels like you’re speaking to a brick wall. They’ve already pre-judged your case before you even say anything.”

That’s something Atkinson says erodes trust in the justice system and he won’t let happen on his watch. Atkinson acknowledges that he doesn’t have much family law experience, yet his experience owning and running a business has given him sharp insight into employment law, for example.

If Atkinson were to win the Position 3 seat, he said he’d sell Atlas Law Group, which employs five attorneys and contracts with the state for public defense work, to avoid any conflict of interest.

Constitutional Odds or Evens: “I don’t want to get in the business of saying I like certain amendments over others,” Atkinson said. “It’s annoying in a sense that we can’t get good insight into our judge candidates. But like I said earlier, I don’t want [people] to think our judges have already made up their minds.”

Favorite Lawyer Movie: Atkinson says few movies get the legal work right. That said, Atkinson enjoys “A Few Good Men” for the writing and the drama. Some True Crime docuseries or podcasts like “Serial” fascinate Atkinson because they closely trace trial tactics, what worked, what didn’t.

Keith Leitz (keithleitzforjudge.com)

While Keith Leitz may be best known for serving Redmond as its city attorney for the past eight years, his legal work includes 15 total years as a public sector attorney. He previously worked as counsel for Coos County. Leitz is the sole candidate who has been a judge before, serving as an Air Force Judge Advocate General.

“I think the most direct impact you can have is as a circuit court judge,” Leitz said. “Whether the outcome is positive or negative for that person, you can still make that moment as good as possible in that moment.”

Leitz said that his strength as a generalist attorney would serve him well as a Deschutes County Circuit Court judge, having argued cases that involve employment and property matters. He also spoke of the insight he’s gleaned as the parent of adult children who’ve moved through the justice system.

“I’ve seen them have encounters both positive and negative with judges,” Leitz said, adding that granting dignity to those in court is paramount.

Constitutional Odds or Evens: Leitz favors the odd-numbered Amendments, yet he said he’d mourn the loss of the Fourth Amendment (illegal searches and seizures).

Favorite Lawyer Movie: “A Few Good Men” or “The Firm,” which Leitz says captures well the intricacies of client confidentiality.

Sonia Huntsman (soniahuntsmanforjudge.com)

Huntsman says she’s a balanced candidate, given her years of arguing both sides of criminal law, both as defense and prosecutor. Presently an attorney with 22^nd Circuit Defenders, a consortium offering public defense services in Crook and Jefferson counties, Huntsman says she’s proud of her work representing indigent clients.

“Sometimes you’re the only person in the entire world who’s really on their side,” Huntsman said.

One case she counts as a shining victory is one her client has permitted her to talk about: Huntsman won an appeal of a circuit court judge’s decision against her client that was financially devastating and didn’t abide case law.

“To win an appeal and have a circuit court judge’s decision overturned, you have to do everything really exact. You have to preserve a good record and you have to brief very carefully,” she said. “[Wins] like that can be really meaningful to people’s lives.”

Huntsman counts her family court experience and coordination with Child Protective Services and the Department of Human Services as distinguishing.

“I’m the only candidate with a substantial amount of family law experience,” Huntsman said, adding that she’s particularly focused on domestic violence work as well. “I had the goal of helping people escape domestic violence, which affects not just the person who’s being abused but an entire family. A lot of our societal problems originate in the family.”

Constitutional Odds or Evens: Huntsman points out that the Constitutional Amendments begin with the First, since “it’s the cornerstone of what our country was founded on,” she said. “It’s a fascinating area of law, dealing with both freedom of speech, religion, the press and all those things that are important in our society.” The Fifth Amendment and the 14th, which is the due-process cornerstone that guarantees equal protection under law and birthright citizenship, are also indispensable, Huntsman said.

Favorite Lawyer Movie: “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “12 Angry Men.”

Editor’s note: Candidate David Hession, an attorney with Deschutes Defenders, did not qualify to run, and Matthew Nelson, the Lead Deputy DA with the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office, had formed a campaign committee yet decided not to run.