Skip to main contentRussell Sadler, a reporter and commentator whose work made an enduring difference to transparency in Oregon, died April 20 at his home in Friday Harbor, Wash. He was 82.
Sadler covered the state Capitol, writing and commenting for newspapers, radio and television for more than 30 years. His lasting achievement, though, emerged from a 1975 lawsuit against the Oregon State Bar. Sadler sought the disciplinary records of a judicial candidate, ultimately winning a decision in the Oregon Supreme Court that left the State Bar with the most transparent records of any Oregon licensing board, making it a national model for openness.
“The transparency of our regulatory system does not just serve the public,” bar spokeswoman Kateri Walsh says. “The legal profession also benefits from the greater trust in a system that is visible to the public.”
In its 1976 decision, the high court predicted the effect Sadler’s quest would have on Oregon lawyers—and the protection it would afford the public.
“Opening up the files of the Bar to the public may restore confidence in the integrity of the individual attorney and assure those concerned that the profession is truly committed to maintaining the highest legal ethics,” the court wrote.
This story was produced by the Oregon Journalism Project, a nonprofit newsroom covering the state.