Martha L. Walters

Martha Walters was first appointed to the Supreme Court in 2006, and was elected Chief Justice by her colleagues in 2018. She retired in December, 2023.  Prior to her judicial service, she was in private trial practice from 1977, emphasizing employment law and civil litigation as well as general civil practice. She holds a B.S. from the University of Michigan with distinction, and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif. 

In addition to her judicial duties, Chief Justice Walters has been active with the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, becoming its first woman president in 2007, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Law Institute. She has served in leadership positions and on many bar committees and task forces of the Oregon State Bar, and has taught a variety of courses and seminars at the University of Oregon School of Law.