Martha Lee Walters (born October 23, 1950) is an American labor attorney and who served as the 43rd chief justice of Oregon from 2018 to 2022; she was a member of the court from 2006 to 2022. She became the first female justice on the state's highest court in three years when she was appointed in 2006 and the first female chief justice when she was elected by her fellow justices in 2018. A native of Michigan, she worked on the

Casey Martin Casey Martin (born June 2, 1972) is an American professional golfer and the current men's golf head coach at the University of Oregon. Early life Martin was born in Eugene, Oregon and still resides there. He was educated at Stanford Universit ...

lawsuit against the PGA Tour while in private legal practice.

Early life and education

Walters was born on October 23, 1950, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she grew up. After high school she attended the University of Michigan, where she graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Walters earned 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 ...

from the University of Oregon School of Law in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

, graduating in 1977 and earning Order of the Coif.

Career

Walters was the founder and president of the

Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

law firm of Walters, Chanti & Zennache. In 1998, she was given the Public Justice Award by the Oregon Trial Lawyers. She served as a delegate to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and as a member of the

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. ...

. While in private practice, she was a specialist in employment and labor law. She represented disabled golfer

in his lawsuit against the PGA Tour to allow Martin to use a golf cart during tournaments.Martha Walters Elected President of ULC.
Uniform Law Commission. Retrieved November 26, 2007. She was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court as a justice by Governor Ted Kulongoski and was sworn into office on October 9, 2006, to replace Justice R. William Riggs who had retired. Walters was the first female justice on the court since 2003 when

Susan M. Leeson Susan M. Leeson (born August 16, 1946) is an American attorney and former judge in the state of Oregon. She was the 94th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Prior to her appointment to the supreme court, the Utah native served on the Oregon Court ...

left the court. In 2007, Walters was elected as the president of the Uniform Law Commission, becoming that organization's first female president. Walters won election to a full six-year term on the court in 2008, and was re-elected in 2014. In June 2018, Walters was elected as chief justice of Oregon by her colleagues on the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, and replaced

Thomas A. Balmer Thomas Ancil Balmer (born January 31, 1952) is a former justice and chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. A native of Washington (U.S. state), Washington, he was appointed to the court in 2001 as a justice, later serving as chief justice from ...

in that role effective July 1, 2018. In October 2022, Walters announced her retirement effective December 31, 2022.

Personal life

Walters is married to John VanLandingham IV, a low-income housing advocate and mobile home-housing specialist.Upcoming CDC Events.
Association of Oregon Community Development Organizations. Retrieved December 9, 2007. The couple has two children.

References

External links

Press release announcing appointment to Supreme Court

Oregon Daily Emerald article
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Martha Lee 1950 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges Chief Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Lawyers from Eugene, Oregon Politicians from Eugene, Oregon Politicians from Grand Rapids, Michigan University of Michigan alumni University of Oregon School of Law alumni Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States