Item B: Mid-Point Evaluation for Judge Allen

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In the event of a challenge to the constitutionality of a particular ordinance, it is my expectation that the judge who is ruling on the issue be fully knowledgeable and informed before the ruling is made. I am available to discuss those or other rulings with the other judges. Section II: Integrity As our community becomes more diverse, the challenge of making each litigant feel that they received equal treatment by the court, regardless of their race, gender, or economic status, becomes increasingly more important, and probably more difficult. Above all else, the people who appear in this court must feel that they were treated with a sense of fairness and impartiality. There can be no appearance of impropriety, or that a case or defendant has been pre-judged, or treated differently than a similarly situated defendant. The “Report of the Oregon Supreme Court Task Force on Racial/Ethnic Issues in the Judicial System” confirmed what I have long known; that is, that there is not always equal treatment in our court system. I have done and will continue to do anything within my ability to eliminate any perception of that being true in this court. This is truly a “people’s court.” By that I mean that the majority of citizens who have contact with a court system have that contact in this court or one like it. Most people do not appear in the higher trial courts. Their perception of how our system works is based upon their appearance in courts such as Eugene Municipal Court. I am proud of our legal system and the way in which this court demonstrates the basis fairness of that system. On behalf of the City, I employ five other judges. I have stressed to each of them, individually and collectively, that our decisions need to be consistent. That is, a person should receive approximately the same sentence or fine from each of the judges, within reasonable limits. To that end, I have prepared suggested schedules of fines and sentences for the various offenses which come before this court. Divergent sentences affect the integrity of the court. We have regular judges meetings so that we can discuss the issue of consistency and fairness. Section III: Communication Skills Communication skills are important for the following reasons: First, people are often intimidated or upset while they are in court. Accordingly, their ability to listen and recall is often limited. The judge must take the time to explain in clear and logical ways the decision, the basis for that decision, and the sentence which has been imposed. Secondly, many terms in the legal system have no meaning to the normal citizen. Alternate phrases should be used or the terms fully explained. To that end, I have prepared a video tape which advises defendants of their constitutional rights. I did so to make the advice more clear to each person to be sure that everyone is consistently advised of the same thing. The tape has been reviewed and updated regularly. We also have translated all our forms into Spanish and have prepared a Spanish informational video which is designed to communicate clearly with our citizens. All of our signs are bi-lingual. The last thing we want is a person who does not understand their rights or options 2008 JUDICIAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW-2