Thomas A. Balmer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tom Balmer
Thomas A. Balmer bar ceremony 2009.JPG
Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
Assumed office
September 2001
Appointed byJohn Kitzhaber
Preceded byTed Kulongoski
Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
In office
May 1, 2012 – June 30, 2018
Preceded byPaul De Muniz
Succeeded byMartha Lee Walters
Personal details
Born (1952-01-31) January 31, 1952 (age 69)
Longview, Washington, U.S.
EducationOberlin College (BA)
University of Chicago (JD)

Thomas "Tom" A. Balmer (born January 31, 1952) is an Associate Justice and former Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. A native of Washington, he was appointed to the court in 2001 as an Associate Justice, later serving as Chief Justice from 2012 to 2018.

Early life[]

Balmer was born on January 31, 1952,[1] in Longview, Washington.[2] He graduated from the now-closed Jackson High Schoolin Portland, Oregon.[3][4]

Balmer graduated from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio in 1974, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with High Honors.[2] Balmer graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1977.[2]

Legal career[]

Balmer began his legal career with the Boston law firm of Choate, Hall & Stewart in 1977. He served in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1979 to 1980.[5] He returned to private practice, joining the Washington, D.C. law firm of Wald, Harkrader & Ross in 1980. Returning to Oregon in 1982, Balmer worked at Lindsay, Hart, Neil & Weigler, becoming a partner in 1986. Balmer taught at Lewis & Clark Law School from 1983 to 1984, and again from 1990 to 1992 as an adjunct professor.[5] He also was an adjunct professor of antitrust law at Willamette University College of Law in 2018-19. From 1986 to 1987 he was the chairperson of the Oregon State Bar antitrust law section, and in 1992 to 1993 he was chairperson of the Multnomah County Legal Aid Service’s Board of Directors.[2]

Later he served as a deputy attorney general for the state of Oregon from 1993 to 1997.[5] While there he worked for the Oregon Attorney General, Ted Kulongoski.[6] Balmer is a former partner of Ater Wynne LLP, focusing on antitrust law, government regulations, and commercial litigation.[5] In 1997, he became a member of the board of directors for , and from 2000 to 2001, he served as an adjunct professor of political science at Lewis & Clark College, 2000-2001.[5]

On September 20, 2001 Balmer was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court. [7] Governor John Kitzhaber appointed Balmer to replace Ted Kulongoski after Kulongoski resigned to campaign for governor. (Kulongoski later won the election to replace Kitzhaber.) Balmer was then elected to a full six-year term in 2002 and re-elected to new terms in 2008, 2014, and 2020.[7] [5] "Hon. Thomas A. Balmer". Legal Span. Retrieved 2007-01-11.

In January 2012 it was announced that Balmer's fellow justices had selected him to become the new Chief Justice of the court, from May 1, 2012, replacing Paul De Muniz.[8] Martha Lee Walters succeeded Balmer as Chief Justice on July 1, 2018, although Balmer has continued to serve as an associate justice.[9]

Select publications[]

  • Co-author of: Conflicts Between State Law and the Sherman Act, 44 U. Pitt. L. Rev. 1 (1982).[2]
  • Co-author of: Antitrust Review of Proposed Administrative Actions, 61 B.U. L. Rev. 90 (1981).[2]

References[]

  1. ^ The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. 1 (Oregon, Pennsylvania ed.). Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, Inc. 1998. p. 389. ISBN 978-1-56160-324-4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Hon. Thomas A. Balmer". Lawyer Directory. FindLaw. Retrieved 2007-01-11.
  3. ^ "Judge of the Supreme Court". May 2002 Voters' Pamphlet. Oregon State Library Digital Collection. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
  4. ^ McCracken, Chris (September 2004). "Justice Thomas Balmer". Multnomah Lawyer. Multnomah Bar Association. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  5. ^ The Honorable Thomas A. Balmer. Archived 2006-12-20 at the Wayback Machine Oregon Judicial Department. Retrieved on November 26, 2007.
  6. ^ a b "Oregon Supreme Court Members". Oregon Blue Book. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  7. ^ Jung, Helen (January 20, 2012). "State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Balmer to become Oregon's next chief justice". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Vanderhart, Dirk (June 4, 2018). "Oregon Supreme Court Elects First-Ever Female Chief Justice". NW News Network. Salem, Oregon. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
2001–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
2012–2018 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""