Marco Antonio Hernandez (born 1957) is the Chief United States district judge 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 ...

Early life and education

Hernandez was born in

Nogales, Arizona Nogales (English: or , ; ) is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The population was 20,837 at the 2010 census and estimated 20,103 in 2019. Nogales forms part of the larger Tucson–Nogales combined statistical area, with a total population ...

, in 1957 and is of Hispanic descent. He moved to

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 ...

at 17 and began work as a dishwasher, and then as a janitor before working his way through community college while working as a teacher's aide. Hernandez then moved on to a four-year school and received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from Western Oregon State College (now known as

Western Oregon University Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university in Monmouth, Oregon. It was originally established in 1856 by Disciples of Christ pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names included Oregon State Normal School, Oregon College of E ...

) in 1983.President Obama Names Five to United States District Court
, ''

whitehouse.gov whitehouse.gov (also simply known as wh.gov) is the official website of the White House and is managed by the Office of Digital Strategy. It was launched on July 29, 1994 by the Clinton administration. The content of the website is in the ...

'' (July 14, 2010). He then attended the

University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington. The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings place Washingt ...

and earned his

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 ...

in 1986.

Legal career

After law school he returned to Oregon where he spent three years working for

Legal Aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...

Services of Oregon where he often represented farm workers. Following his time with

legal aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...

, Hernandez then joined the Washington County

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

's office as a deputy prosecutor in 1989. Shortly before leaving office in January 1995,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 Hernandez to be Washington County Circuit Court Judge.Peter Wong
Obama names two as federal judges in Oregon
''

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

'' (July 14, 2010). In 2001, he allowed a claim for loss of companionship in a pet case to go to trial, the first time such a claim was allowed to go to trial in the United States. Hernandez served as

Presiding Judge A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, th ...

of the County's Circuit Court from 2002 to 2005. He won re-election to a new six-year term on the court in May 2008. He has also served as the judge for the county's Mental Health Court, and as presiding judge from 2002 until 2005.

Federal judicial nominations

In January 2008, Hernandez was one of three candidates recommended by a six-member judicial selection committee to replace Garr King on the

.James Pitkin
Immergut’s Out: The Final Three Who Are In For A Federal Judge Appointment
''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' (January 25, 2008). President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

selected Hernandez to fill the vacancy on the District Court of Oregon and submitted his nomination on July 23, 2008.Holly Danks
Politics could sink local judge's federal nomination
''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' (July 24, 2008). Senators

Gordon H. Smith Gordon Harold Smith (born May 25, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and academic administrator who served as a United States Senator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served two terms in the Senate from 1997 to 2009. On Septe ...

and

Ron Wyden Ronald Lee Wyden (; born May 3, 1949) is an American politician and retired educator serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Oregon, a seat he has held since 1996 United Stat ...

supported the nomination, but it was made with less than six months remaining in the Bush presidency.James Pitkin
Ron Wyden Adds Marco Hernandez As The Sixth Name to Judges’ List
''

'' (July 28, 2009). The nomination was not acted upon by the

110th Congress The 110th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the Presidency of George W. Bush. It was composed of ...

and was thus returned.

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Gordon Smith was narrowly defeated for re-election in 2008, and newly elected President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

restarted the judicial selection process for the District of Oregon.

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Ron Wyden recommended Hernandez in addition to five other candidates selected by a thirteen-member judicial selection committee. On July 14, 2010, Obama renominated Hernandez to replace Garr King. He is one of few people to be nominated to the federal bench by presidents from two different political parties. The Senate again failed to act on Hernandez's nomination, and President Obama nominated Hernandez again in January 2011. On February 7, 2011, the Senate unanimously confirmed Hernandez as the newest judge for the District of Oregon, and he received his commission on February 9. He became

Chief Judge A chief judge (also known as presiding judge, president judge or principal judge) is the highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. According to the Federal judiciary of the United States, th ...

on December 23, 2019.

References

External links

* *
Oregon Health News article
- KATU {{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez, Marco A. 1957 births Living people 21st-century American judges Hispanic and Latino American judges Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon Oregon state court judges People from Nogales, Arizona People from Washington County, Oregon United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama University of Washington School of Law alumni Western Oregon University alumni Hispanic and Latino American lawyers

Early life and education

Legal career

Federal judicial nominations

See also

References

External links