Voters elected John Ballard to the fifth position in the 6th Judicial District encompassing Umatilla and Morrow counties.
Ballard, who will be a first-time judge, beat incumbent Joanna Marikos 54.16% to 45.48%, according to the Oregon Secretary of State’s unofficial results. His term will begin in January 2025 and will last six years.
The two candidates moved forward after facing two others in the May primary election. Marikos was the incumbent after Gov. Tina Kotek appointed her to the bench in early 2024 following the retirement of Judge Christopher Brauer.
Ballard said he will give his reaction once the race “isn’t so close.”
Ballard is a private family law, divorce and criminal defense attorney. He graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Law and has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 1997. During a circuit court judge candidate forum in Pendleton earlier this year, Ballard said from his private practice, he is “used to a fast pace (and) a heavy caseload.”
Marikos is a Willamette University College of Law graduate who worked in private practice before becoming a public defender. She most recently was a treatment court and pro tem judge before moving up to the circuit court.
The court serves Umatilla and Morrow counties, meaning voters in both regions had a say in who won the election. Ballard received 53.05% of the unofficial vote in Umatilla County and 58.90% in Morrow County, compared to Marikos’s 46.59% and 40.73%, respectively.
Judges in Oregon serve six-year terms and are required to retire at the end of the year they turn 75. The term expires Jan. 6, 2025.
Two other seats on the circuit court were up for election in the May primary, with Robert Collins keeping his seat after a challenge and Eva Temple retaining her position unchallenged.
