Oregon Court of Appeals - Home

Group photo Oregon Court of Appeals judges

Standing from left to right: Judge Kristina Hellman, Judge Ramón Pagán, Judge Josephine Mooney, Judge Robyn Aoyagi, Judge Steven Powers, Judge Jacqueline Kamins, Judge Anna Joyce, Judge Megan Jacquot
Seated from left to right: Judge Douglas Tookey, Judge Darleen Ortega, Chief Judge Erin Lagesen, Judge James Egan, Judge Scott Shorr

Contact & Location Information

Contacts

Telephone
503-986-5555

Courthouse Hours
Telephone
8 a.m. - noon; 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Mon-Fri
Counter
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon - Fri

ADA Contact
View accessibility information

Media Contact
Daniel Parr
503-986-5589

Location

Physical Address
Court of Appeals
1163 State Street NE
Salem, Oregon 97301
Map

Mailing Address
Court of Appeals
1163 State Street
Salem, OR 97301-2563

Appellate Settlement Conference Program

General Information
503-986-5874
Christina Esquivel

Director
Genevieve Evarts

The Court of Appeals, created in 1969, is the first level of appeal following trial. The court has jurisdiction to hear all civil and criminal appeals from circuit courts, except death penalty cases, and to review most state administrative agency actions. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court appoints the Chief Judge from among the thirteen judges on the Court of Appeals. For a chart of all the judges who have served on the Court of Appeals since 1969, see Oregon Court of Appeals 1969 – Present. (Credit: Professor Jeffrey Dobbins, Willamette University College of Law.)

For more detailed descriptions of the Court of Appeals, see About the Oregon Judicial Department. For information on fees, transcripts, appellate case processing, and sample forms, see Appellate Court Records. For information about representing yourself in the Court of Appeals, see Resources for Self-Represented Litigants. And see Community Outreach on how the Court brings its work to students and communities throughout Oregon.

If you are looking for information on a pending case, please note that the court does not announce in advance when it will issue an opinion. You can find the opinions and any Supreme Court announcements about opinions it expects to issue the next day on the Court of Appeals Opinions page. For other information on pending cases, please contact Appellate Court Records.

Welcome to the Oregon Court of Appeals

The Oregon Court of Appeals is Oregon's intermediate appellate court. The Court of Appeals was created by statute in 1969, and its jurisdiction is established by the Legislative Assembly. With the exception of a limited number of appeals that go directly to the Oregon Supreme Court--most notably death penalty cases, ballot title cases, lawyer discipline matters, and tax court cases--the Court of Appeals receives every appeal or judicial review taken from Oregon's trial courts and administrative agencies. Individuals and businesses in Oregon have a general right to appeal decisions from those bodies to our court, and our doors are open to them.

The Oregon Court of Appeals consistently ranks as one of the busiest appellate courts in the nation. In 2012, in light of the increasing volume and complexity of the court's workload, the Legislative Assembly increased the number of judges on the court from ten to thirteen. As a result, the three new judges joined the court in late 2013.

The judges of the Oregon Court of Appeals are elected statewide. Like all Oregon state court judges, our judges must be United States citizens, Oregon residents for at least three years, and lawyers admitted to practice in Oregon. Our judges come from many different backgrounds. Some of us were trial judges, some were government lawyers, and others came from private practice. We each regularly participate in all of the varied types of cases that fall within the court's jurisdiction.

Service on the Oregon Court of Appeals is a privilege granted by the citizens of Oregon. My colleagues and I, and the court's entire staff, are committed to honoring that trust by (1) approaching every dispute with an open mind and an even hand; (2) treating every case, every party, and every advocate with dignity and respect; and (3) rendering timely, correct, and clear decisions.

If you have any questions about the Court's operations or processes, please feel free to contact our Records staff at 503-986-5555, and they will do their best to assist you.

Erin C. Lagesen
Chief Judge