SALEM, Ore. (AP) — As he took his seat on the Oregon Supreme Court, new Justice Jack Landau said an independent court system is more important now than ever.
Landau said Wednesday that the independence of the judiciary is challenged by ignorance about the role of the courts. He says it’s also challenged by “those who are openly attempting to intimidate judges into conforming their decisions with predetermined political agendas.”
Landau was elected in May to a six-year term on the court. He previously spent 18 years on the Oregon Court of Appeals. As an appeals court judge, Landau wrote an opinion that employers cannot discriminate against gay and lesbian couples when providing health care benefits.
Landau succeeds W. Michael Gillette of Salem, who retired Monday after 25 years on the state’s highest court.
