Rives Kistler
Encyclopedia
Rives Kistler is an American attorney and judge in the state of Oregon
. After college and law school on the East Coast, he moved to Oregon where he worked in private practice before joining the Oregon Department of Justice
. Kistler then joined the Oregon Court of Appeals
before appointment to the Oregon Supreme Court
in 2003.
in Williamstown, Massachusetts
, earning a BA. He then earned a masters degree at the University of North Carolina
before attending law school. Justice Kistler graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center
in 1981. After graduation, he served as a law clerk for Charles Clark
, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
, and for Lewis F. Powell, Jr., Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
.
, Oregon
from 1983 to 1987. He then moved to the Oregon Department of Justice
as an Assistant Attorney General, representing the state in civil and criminal appeals before the state and federal courts from 1987 to 1999.
Kistler began his judicial career in 1999 when Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber
appointed him to the Oregon Court of Appeals
. He started service on that court on January 14, 1999, replacing R. William Riggs
who had been elevated to the Oregon Supreme Court
. Kistler served on Oregon's intermediate court of appeals until August 14, 2003, when he was himself appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court.
On August 15, 2003, he was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court
to replace Susan M. Leeson
who had resigned. Appointed by governor Ted Kulongoski
, he won election to a full six-year term in 2004, winning 60 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed for re-election in 2010, winning a second six-year term. In addition to his judicial work, Kistler has taught state constitutional law as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School
in Portland, Oregon. He is a former member and vice-chair of the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners and a former member of the National Association of Attorneys General
Working Groups on criminal law, federalism, and free speech; he served as chair of the working group on free speech.
Kistler is openly gay, and at the time of his appointment was the only openly LGBT
state supreme court justice in the United States
. The second was fellow Oregonian Virginia Linder
, who joined Kistler on the Oregon court in 2007.
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...
. After college and law school on the East Coast, he moved to Oregon where he worked in private practice before joining the Oregon Department of Justice
Oregon Department of Justice
The Oregon Department of Justice , headed by Attorney General John Kroger, is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its employees work in Oregon's capital, Salem...
. Kistler then joined the Oregon Court of Appeals
Oregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
before appointment to 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...
in 2003.
Education
Rives Kistler earned his undergraduate degree at Williams CollegeWilliams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
in Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
, earning a BA. He then earned a masters degree at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
before attending law school. Justice Kistler graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
in 1981. After graduation, he served as a law clerk for Charles Clark
Charles Clark (judge)
Charles Clark was a federal judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from Mississippi. He is, as of 2011, the highest ranking judicial official from Mississippi since L.Q.C. Lamar served on the United States Supreme Court in 1893.Clark was born in Memphis, Tennessee to...
, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Louisiana* Middle District of Louisiana...
, and for Lewis F. Powell, Jr., Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
.
Legal career
On completing his clerkships, Kistler went into private practice as a litigation associate for Stoel Rives LLP in PortlandPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, 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...
from 1983 to 1987. He then moved to the Oregon Department of Justice
Oregon Department of Justice
The Oregon Department of Justice , headed by Attorney General John Kroger, is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its employees work in Oregon's capital, Salem...
as an Assistant Attorney General, representing the state in civil and criminal appeals before the state and federal courts from 1987 to 1999.
Kistler began his judicial career in 1999 when Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber
John Kitzhaber
John Albert Kitzhaber is the 37th Governor of Oregon. He served as the 35th Governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003 and became the first person to be elected to the office three times when he was re-elected to a non-consecutive third term in 2010...
appointed him to the Oregon Court of Appeals
Oregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
. He started service on that court on January 14, 1999, replacing 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 been elevated to 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...
. Kistler served on Oregon's intermediate court of appeals until August 14, 2003, when he was himself appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court.
On August 15, 2003, he was appointed to 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...
to replace 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,...
who had resigned. Appointed by 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...
, he won election to a full six-year term in 2004, winning 60 percent of the vote. He ran unopposed for re-election in 2010, winning a second six-year term. In addition to his judicial work, Kistler has taught state constitutional law as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School
Lewis & Clark Law School
Lewis and Clark Law School is a private American law school located in Portland, Oregon. In the last ten years, L&C's Environmental Law program has been the highest-rated in the United States eight times....
in Portland, Oregon. He is a former member and vice-chair of the Oregon Board of Bar Examiners and a former member of the National Association of Attorneys General
National Association of Attorneys General
The National Association of Attorneys General is an organization of 56 state and territorial attorneys general in the United States...
Working Groups on criminal law, federalism, and free speech; he served as chair of the working group on free speech.
Kistler is openly gay, and at the time of his appointment was the only openly LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
state supreme court justice in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The second was fellow Oregonian Virginia Linder
Virginia Linder
Virginia Lynn Linder is an American judge from Oregon who has served, since January 2007, as the 99th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. She had previously served since 1997 on the Oregon Court of Appeals...
, who joined Kistler on the Oregon court in 2007.