Jack L. Landau (born 1953) is an American attorney and judge in the state of
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. A native of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, he worked in private legal practice in Oregon before he joined the
Oregon Department of Justice
The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ), headed by the Oregon Attorney General (currently Ellen Rosenblum), is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its empl ...
. He served on the
Oregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the US state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has thirteen judges and is located in Salem. Except for death penalty cases, which are reserved to the O ...
from 1993 to 2011, and on the
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. His family moved several times while he was growing up, and he attended high school first in
Gibbsboro, New Jersey
Gibbsboro is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 2,274,Eastern Regional High School
Eastern Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school for students in ninth through twelfth grades from Berlin Borough, Gibbsboro and Voorhees Township, three communities in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, o ...
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, for the next school year. In 1969, Landau's family settled in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, where he attended another Benjamin Franklin High School, graduating in 1971.
Following high school, he remained in Portland and attended
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocated to Portland in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & Cl ...
where he graduated
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975. Landau then enrolled at the school's law school, Northwestern School of Law (now
Lewis & Clark Law School
The Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College (also known as Lewis & Clark Law School), is an American Bar Association-approved private law school in Portland, Oregon.
The law school received ABA approval in 1970 and joined the Asso ...
), and he graduated in 1980 with a
juris doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
. He later earned a
Master of Laws
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
(LL.M.) degree in judicial process from the
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...
in 2001.
Career
Landau began his legal career as an instructor at his former law school from June 1980 until August 1981. He then worked as a clerk for judge
Robert C. Belloni
Robert Clinton Belloni (April 4, 1919 – November 3, 1999) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. He was instrumental in upholding Native American fishing rights in the Pacific Northwe ...
of the
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon (in case citations, D. Ore. or D. Or.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the sta ...
in Portland from 1981 until 1983. He passed the Oregon bar in 1982, and then entered private legal practice at Lindsay, Hart, Neil & Weigler in Portland. Landau remained with the firm from 1983 until 1989, and rose to partner. In 1989, he joined the
Oregon Department of Justice
The Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ), headed by the Oregon Attorney General (currently Ellen Rosenblum), is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its empl ...
and worked there until 1993, rising to the position of deputy attorney general.
Oregon Governor
Barbara Roberts
Barbara Kay Roberts (née Hughey; born December 21, 1936) is an American politician from the state of Oregon. A native of the state, she served as the List of Governors of Oregon, 34th Governor of Oregon from 1991 to 1995. She was the first List ...
appointed Landau to the
Oregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the US state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has thirteen judges and is located in Salem. Except for death penalty cases, which are reserved to the O ...
on December 15, 1992, to replace George M. Joseph. Landau served as judge on that court from 1993 until 2010, winning re-election to six-year terms in 1994, 2000, and 2006. Beginning in 1993, he also started teaching legislation as an adjunct professor at
Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University College of Law is the law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest. It has approximately 24 full-time law professors and e ...
. In January 2010, Landau entered the race to replace
W. Michael Gillette
W. Michael Gillette (born December 29, 1941) is an American attorney and retired judge in the state of Oregon. He was a justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, where he served from 1986 until 2010. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he was previously ...
as a justice of the
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. He faced administrative law judge Allan Arlow in the May primary, and Landau defeated him with 72% of the vote to win the seat on Oregon's highest court. Landau took office on January 3, 2011, as the one-hundredth person to serve on the court since it was formed when the
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...
was organized.
Landau announced in September 2017 that he would retire from the
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Kate Brown
Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 38th governor of Oregon since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th district of the ...
appointed
Adrienne Nelson
Adrienne Camille Nelson (born 1967) is an American lawyer who is a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. She previously served as a judge on the Multnomah County, ...