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February 3rd 2005 • Printer version
 Law professor Tom Lininger named chair of Oregon's Criminal Justice Commission Governor Ted Kulongoski has appointed University of Oregon law
professor Tom Lininger chair of the state's criminal justice
commission. With a budget of $12 million, the bipartisan
commission helps plan criminal justice policy, writes Oregon's
sentencing guidelines and administers grant money for juvenile crime
prevention.
Lininger, a former Lane
County commissioner and federal prosecutor, teaches evidence, ethics
and criminal law. He has served on the commission since 1998 and has
been acting chair since 2003.
His top priorities for 2004 include reconsidering the state's
sentencing guidelines and advising the legislature on combating
methamphetamine trafficking.
"Oregon needs a long-term strategy to deal with the methamphetamine
problem. We need greater emphasis on treatment of addicts,
investigation of methamphetamine manufacturers, and regulation of
precursor chemicals," Lininger said.
Last June, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled that that any fact that
lengthens a mandatory sentence must be proved to a jury beyond a
reasonable doubt. Lininger said, "After the (Blakely v. Washington)
decision, Oregon needs to review its sentencing practices and ensure
that the proper questions are presented to the jury."
Subsequent Supreme Court decisions in 2005
have created new challenges for states such as Oregon that rely on
sentencing guidelines, and Lininger will be reviewing Oregon's system
to make sure it complies with the Court's recent rulings.
Lininger grew up in Ashland and is a graduate of Yale and Harvard Law School.
He worked as a federal prosecutor and as a
litigator for Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom in San Francisco. Governor
John
Kitzhaber appointed him to the Criminal Justice Commission in 1998. He
joined the law faculty in 2003.
He replaces longtime Marion County District Attorney Dale Penn '76, who
chaired the group during the 1990s and now serves as executive director
of the Oregon Lottery Commission. Attorney General Hardy Myers '64
chaired the commission before that, when it was known as the Oregon
Criminal Justice Council.
Members of the bipartisan commission are selected for political and
regional balance, and include state legislators, district attorneys and
civic activists.
Commission members:
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Ginny Burdick of Portland
is a Democratic leader in OregonÃs state senate. She earned a masters
degree in journalism from the UO.
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Mike Burton served as CEO of Portland Metro, the regional government for three
Oregon counties, and was a five-term Democratic state representative.
- Dwight Holton, of Multnomah County,
is a federal prosecutor.
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Josh Marquis '80 is Clatsop County's district attorney, a victimÃs rights
advocate and longtime commentator on Court TV. He lives in Astoria.
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Medford attorney Rob Patridge served as a Jackson County Republican state representative
from 1998 to 2004.
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Salem civic leader Anna Peterson was campaign manager for retired
Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Ed Peterson '57 and founded a community task force against the manufacture and abuse of
methamphetamine. She earned her bachelors degree from the UO.
Lininger said, "The commission's members bring
diverse interests to the table. Some are legislators. Some
work in the criminal justice system. Some are community
activists. The members see the criminal justice system from
different angles, and the combination of these various viewpoints
allows us to craft balanced policy."
Oregon Criminal Justice Commission
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