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It’s unusual for a sitting judge to receive an election challenge, let alone lose. But little was typical about the first and only term of Multnomah County Circuit Judge Adrian Brown, who was unseated May 19 by public defender Peter Klym by 70% to 29%.
Brown was the subject of a prosecutorial boycott by District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, who filed a court memorandum alleging she did not try Measure 11 criminal cases impartially; she was reprimanded by the court’s presiding judge for asking her colleagues to cover her trial docket while she campaigned; and she missed the deadline to file a statement in the Voters’ Pamphlet. (This oversight was particularly damaging, as Klym’s name was the only one voters saw when consulting the pamphlet.)
Also unusual: The day after results arrived, Brown sent an email to her supporters suggesting Klym lied his way into office. “His comments were unprofessional, they misrepresented my record as a judge, and they were misleading to voters,” Brown wrote. “There will be other opportunities to set the record straight—for now we go forward with goodwill.”
Reached for comment, Klym told WW: “Judges need to remain above the fray and not engage in public squabbles with elected officials or make unsupported—and knowingly false—insinuations about incoming officials. I will adhere to those tenets and focus on the job.”
One loose end from the contest: Brown filed a public records request for all correspondence from Vasquez mentioning her, including communications with reporters.
