Special Guest: Judge Darleen Ortega!, crime rates, police budgets, what does a judge do?, Oregon Court of Appeals, serving justice as a judge, & staying proximate to the marginalized.

Eric will be back next week, but until then, Bobbin and Beatrix discuss OPB’s recent article on perceptions of crime and the Oregon midterm election, and how perceptions from candidates and Portlanders and data on crime rates do not necessarily match. Beatrix sighs at the over-bloated police budget that Mayor Wheeler and President Biden (who made an appearance in Portland) are signing off on; which leads to Bobbin and Beatrix talking about bad police reforms. We are joined by a special guest, Judge Darleen Ortega who serves in Position 3 of the Oregon Court of Appeals. As the first woman of color and the only Latina to serve as an Appellate Judge, Judge Ortega shares her experience and what it means to serve justice as a judge. Judge Ortega talks about challenges in the system, and how asking good questions grounds her work. Bobbin and Judge Ortega talk about law schools in Oregon (where she teaches at all three schools!). Judge Ortega discusses why it is important to stay proximate to the marginalized to inform her work.

Produced by Beatrix Li, Comms. & Policy Associate

The Trail Blazing Justice podcast is a production of the Oregon Justice Resource Center.