Albin Walter Norblad III (March 15, 1939 – February 10, 2014) was an attorney in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, and a judge of the Oregon Circuit Court for the 3rd judicial district, in Marion County at Salem. He was named for his father, A. Walter Norblad, and grandfather, A. W. Norblad, both prominent Oregon attorneys and politicians.

Early life

Norblad was born in Astoria, Oregon in 1939, and moved with his family to

Stayton, Oregon Stayton is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States, located southeast of the state capital, Salem, on Oregon Route 22. It is south of Sublimity and east of Aumsville. Located on the North Santiam River, Stayton is a regional agricultur ...

in 1953. After a United States Army discharge in 1958 and a year's study at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, Norblad obtained a bachelor's degree in history from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

in 1963, and a law degree from the

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

in 1965. Norblad's father died in office in 1964, and Norblad considered running for his seat in the United States House of Representatives, however

Wendell Wyatt Wendell Wyatt (June 15, 1917 – January 28, 2009) was an American attorney and Republican United States Representative from Oregon's 1st congressional district who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1964 until 1975. ...

was elected instead.

Legal career

Before becoming a state court judge, Norblad served as a municipal court judge and a deputy district attorney. His lengthy career as a jurist included a number of controversial and high-profile cases, including a 1994 decision upholding a state law banning enforcement of local anti-gay rights ordinances. As a juvenile court judge during the 1970s, Norblad made hundreds of unpopular decisions, reportedly sending more youths to

MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility is a correctional facility in unincorporated Marion County, Oregon, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a countr ...

than any other judge in the state. The judge was disciplined by the Oregon Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability in 2002 with a thirty-day suspension following a drunk driving incident, an action which was upheld on appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Later life and death

He was the state's longest sitting judge. According to Article VII of the Oregon Constitution, he would have had to retire at the end of 2014. He died in Salem, Oregon on February 10, 2014, from a brain hemorrhage after a fall; he was 74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Norblad, Albin 1939 births 2014 deaths American people of Swedish descent Oregon lawyers Oregon state court judges University of Oregon alumni Willamette University College of Law alumni Georgetown University alumni United States Army soldiers Politicians from Astoria, Oregon People from Stayton, Oregon