Martha Lee Walters
Encyclopedia
Martha Lee Walters is an American
labor attorney and judge in the state of Oregon
. As of 2008, she is the 98th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
. She became the first female justice on the state's highest court in three years when she was appointed in 2006. A native of Michigan
, she worked on the Casey Martin
lawsuit against the PGA Tour
while in private legal practice.
, where she also grew up. After high school she attended the University of Michigan
, where she graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of arts
degree. Walters earned her law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law
in Eugene, Oregon
, graduating in 1977 with her Juris Doctor
and earning Order of the Coif
. Walters is married to John VanLandingham IV, a low-income housing advocate and mobile home-housing specialist. The couple has two children, John VanLandingham V, a graduate of the University of Chicago
, and Cassady Walters, a student at Whitman College
.
and as a member of the American Law Institute
. While in private practice she represented golfer Casey Martin
in his lawsuit against the PGA Tour
in order to allow the disabled Martin to use a golf cart while playing on the tour.
She was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court by Oregon
Governor Ted Kulongoski
and was sworn into office on October 9, 2006, to replace Justice R. William Riggs
who had retired. She won election to a full six-year term in 2008. Walters was the first female justice on the court since 2003 when Susan M. Leeson
left the court. A specialist in employment and labor law, she was 55 years-old when appointed. In 2007, Walters was elected as the president of the Uniform Law Commission, becoming that organization's first female president. Walters won election to a full six-year term on the court in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labor attorney and judge in the state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. As of 2008, she is the 98th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
. She became the first female justice on the state's highest court in three years when she was appointed in 2006. A native of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, she worked on the Casey Martin
Casey Martin
Casey Martin is a former American professional golfer and the current college golf coach of the University of Oregon.Martin was born in Eugene, Oregon and still resides there. He was educated at Stanford University, where he was initiated into the Sigma Chi fraternity and was briefly a teammate of...
lawsuit against the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
while in private legal practice.
Early years
Walters was born on October 23, 1950, in Grand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
, where she also grew up. After high school she attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, where she graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree. Walters earned her law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law
University of Oregon School of Law
The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, on the corner of 15th and Agate streets,...
in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, graduating in 1977 with her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
and earning Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
. Walters is married to John VanLandingham IV, a low-income housing advocate and mobile home-housing specialist. The couple has two children, John VanLandingham V, a graduate of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and Cassady Walters, a student at Whitman College
Whitman College
Whitman College is a private, co-educational, non-sectarian, residential undergraduate liberal arts college located in Walla Walla, Washington. Initially founded as a seminary by a territorial legislative charter in 1859, the school became a four year degree granting institution in 1883...
.
Legal career
Justice Walters was the founder and president of the Eugene law firm of Walters, Chanti & Zennache. In 1998, she was given the Public Justice Award by the Oregon Trial Lawyers. She served as a delegate to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State LawsNational Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws is a non-profit, unincorporated association commonly referred to as the U.S. Uniform Law Commission. It consists of commissioners appointed by each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States...
and as a member of the American Law Institute
American Law Institute
The American Law Institute was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. The ALI drafts, approves, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, model codes, and other proposals for law...
. While in private practice she represented golfer Casey Martin
Casey Martin
Casey Martin is a former American professional golfer and the current college golf coach of the University of Oregon.Martin was born in Eugene, Oregon and still resides there. He was educated at Stanford University, where he was initiated into the Sigma Chi fraternity and was briefly a teammate of...
in his lawsuit against the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
in order to allow the disabled Martin to use a golf cart while playing on the tour.
She was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court by Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
Governor Ted Kulongoski
Ted Kulongoski
Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski is an American politician, who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon. A Democrat, he has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as the state Insurance Commissioner, the Attorney General, and an Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court.-Early...
and was sworn into office on October 9, 2006, to replace Justice R. William Riggs
R. William Riggs
Richard William Riggs is an American attorney and former judge in the state of Oregon. He is currently a senior judge for Oregon, and previously was the 94th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court serving from 1998 to 2006.-Early life:...
who had retired. She won election to a full six-year term in 2008. Walters was the first female justice on the court since 2003 when Susan M. Leeson
Susan M. Leeson
Susan M. Leeson is an American attorney and former judge in the state of Oregon. She was the 94th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Prior to her appointment to Oregon’s high court, the Utah native served on the Oregon Court of Appeals.-Early life:Susan Leeson was born on August 16,...
left the court. A specialist in employment and labor law, she was 55 years-old when appointed. In 2007, Walters was elected as the president of the Uniform Law Commission, becoming that organization's first female president. Walters won election to a full six-year term on the court in 2008.