It is the duty of every lawyer to defend judicial independence, according to Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul De Muniz. At a February 22 gathering -- of which video is available -- Justice De Muniz addressed the Oregon Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society, describing the current threats to an independent judiciary. Specific issues he cited include media assaults on controversial decisions; reduced funding for court functions; the contentiousness and politicization of federal judicial nominations and state judicial campaigns; and efforts in Oregon to recall a judge who struck down a ballot measure and to change the means by which state supreme court justices are elected. Justice De Muniz argued that each of those efforts undermine democracy.

The Justice told attorneys in attendance to help give judicial independence a better image. Efforts to reframe the debate surrounding the issue are only part of the picture, he said; members of the bench and bar must persuade students, politicians, and, ultimtely, voters, that an independent judiciary is the means by which their rights are protected and the constitutional framework enforced. Only then can the values of equal protection, due process, and access to justice be realized.