Low Judge Runs for High Court

The unjustified overconfidence of Norman Hill

In August, Governor Kate Brown called for applications to fill vacancies at the Oregon Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals that were created by the retirements of Justice Lynn Nakamoto, and Judges Joel DeVore and Rex Armstrong.

When the names of the applicants were announced, I was astonished to see that Presiding Judge Norman Hill of Polk County Circuit Court had thrown his proverbial wig into a ring of applicants which included four current appellate judges.

I am certain that there is no chance Norm Hill will be selected from the pool of otherwise outstanding candidates.

However, Hill’s name is elevated by association with such excellence, and that is a fiction which cannot go unaddressed.

In brief, Judge Hill refuses to perform basic administrative court functions, such as authenticating court orders that purport to issue from Polk court.

Worse, Hill has retaliated against the victim of court orders that were fraudulently obtained by now-disgraced (and now-federally indicted) former attorney Megan Perry from now-disgraced fired Polk court employee Heidi Bittick, and which caused insurmountable prejudice to a case overseen by now-disgraced former judge Sally Avera.

Judge Hill is a disgrace — as is Polk County Circuit Court — and Oregon should not be required to suffer this fool, or his deficient style of justice. It’s bad enough that entire county already has to.

My entire letter to Governor Brown regarding Hill’s application may be read here. I have been told that others have submitted letters or are considering doing so.