Brownhill looks back at her time as a judge

Published 12:15 pm Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Ten years ago, Judge Paula Brownhill met a 3-year-old boy who had come through the court system to be placed with foster parents.

His parents were engaged in drug use, criminal activity and violence. The judge said the boy had suffered a great deal of trauma and did not receive sufficient treatment.

He and his half-sister were initially placed together in foster care with a relative, but eventually, they were split up. Since then, the judge has watched the boy get placed in one home after another.

Although he is no longer in Clatsop County, Brownhill still keeps in touch with him. “He is a great kid, and he deserves a permanent home,” she said.

Brownhill, 68, is most passionate about cases involving children. She has been an advocate for children since she began her career as a lawyer and has been recognized over the years for her efforts to improve court processes for children as a judge.

Chief Justice Wallace Carson named her the juvenile court champion in 2002 for raising the profile and priority of child abuse and neglect cases. She was honored again in 2015 when Chief Justice Thomas Balmer presented her with a lifetime achievement award for her work with abused and neglected children.

Brownhill was appointed by Gov. Barbara Roberts to fill Judge Thomas Edison’s position on the Clatsop County Circuit Court in 1994 and was elected four times.

After 25 years on the bench, the presiding judge will retire on Oct. 31. However, she won’t be gone long.

Brownhill chose a retirement option that requires her to work 35 days a year for five years filling in for judges around the state. She said the option allows her to stay up-to-date with changes to the law and gives her the opportunity to travel to new places.

Her first post will be to return to Clatsop County Circuit Court as a temporary judge on Nov. 18 until a new judge is appointed to replace her.

Progress

Brownhill is proud of the progress the court has made over her tenure in becoming more efficient and accessible. She gives large credit to court administrators and staff.

She believes the Circuit Court is effective, fair and accessible.

During her time on the bench, Brownhill has worked to meet the Oregon Supreme Court standards for timely dispositions of cases. She said improvements have resulted in having fewer trials and speedier resolutions, but she said there is still more work to do.

In 1998, she introduced family law mediation and parent education classes to the court. The court opened the Family Resource Center in 2000, which helps self-represented litigants with family law forms and procedures.

She said the resource center served more than 1,700 people in 2018.

In 1998, Brownhill was appointed to the Statewide Family Law Advisory Committee by Chief Justice Carson. The committee sought to find ways to improve family court services. She served as chair from 2003 to 2018.

Brownhill also chaired the Firearms and Domestic Violence Taskforce, which developed protocols that are still used today to keep firearms away from people who have been violent toward others.

She hosted the Clatsop County Meth Summit in 2006, which developed strategies to control methamphetamine abuse. Through the summit, the county created the Family Treatment Court, which helps parents with drug and alcohol issues. Brownhill said many parents have been able to regain custody of their children through the program.

Brownhill has also worked on the state and county levels to improve juvenile dependency procedures and she teaches juvenile dependency law to new judges.

She served on the executive committee of the Oregon Circuit Court Judges Association from 2011 to 2014 and chaired it from 2013 to 2014.

In 2017, she received the Wallace P. Carson Outstanding Achievement Award for her contributions to family law in Oregon.

As she exits, Brownhill will be honored with the Oregon State Bar’s Wallace P. Carson Jr. Award for Judicial Excellence for 2019, which honors a member of the state’s judiciary for making significant contributions to the judicial system and who is “a model of professionalism, integrity and judicial independence.”

Lessons

Brownhill said she has learned a lot about people during her time as a judge.

“The first lesson I learned was shocking to me,” she said. “That a person would swear an oath to tell the truth, take the witness stand and lie … I just wasn’t prepared for how prevalent that is.”

She has also learned many people who appear in court have suffered trauma. She thinks judges should be aware and treat people appropriately.

She is grateful for the mentors she had whose advice guided her throughout her career. And, over time, she learned how to adapt to be a more effective judge.

“I actually have become calmer and more curious over time,” Brownhill said.

She said when she first started she wanted to get as much work done as she could as quickly as possible. Sometimes, she even scheduled jury trials to start as soon as she finished another trial. She worked long hours during the week and on weekends.

“I finally realized no matter how hard I worked the volume did not decrease,” she said.

“At some point, I decided not to work as many hours and then when I developed my Family Treatment Court … I think a lot changed. We had kids in here playing and crying. We had all these families and it was much more relaxed and I liked that better than the rigid way that I had previously run the courtroom.

“So, I still maintain control over my courtroom, but it’s a nicer place.”

The judge said she found the results are better in a more relaxed and courteous courtroom.

“She’s going to be hard to replace and I’m going to miss her a lot,” said Katie Danen, a court clerk. “Everybody is going to miss her.”

Danen and Brownhill have worked together closely for nine years.

She said Brownhill has been a great judge to work with through many changes, from remodeling the courthouse, to the 2007 storms, implementing a new computer system and new judges.

“We have a close working relationship,” Danen said tearfully. “I think of us as a well-oiled machine.”

She said she has enjoyed watching her on the bench, but is excited for her to start a new chapter of her life and spend more time with her grandchildren.

“I’m very excited for her,” Danen said. “For 25 years, Judge Brownhill has been dedicated to fair and balanced judicial decision, especially when it comes to the kids. She is passionate about the children that have to come through our system, which is amazing. I love that dedication from her.”

Memorable cases

Some of Brownhill’s most memorable cases include Linda Jean Stangel, who was convicted of manslaughter in the second degree in 1997 for pushing her boyfriend off a cliff at Ecola State Park. The trial was widely publicized and covered on Court TV.

She said she will never forget James Lincoln Willie, who was driving under the influence of intoxicants when he hit a car head-on, killing Jennifer Ferlitsch and her grandfather. Ferlitsch and her grandparents were on their way to the beach.

She remembers the heart-wrenching trial after the deaths of Honour Lavis and Margaret Navarro. Josh Hoskins was driving impaired and crashed on a logging road with the two young women and a passenger, Mark Puffinburger. Both women were killed and Puffinburger sustained serious injuries. Hoskins had minor injuries.

She also recalls how nearly everyone in the courtroom was in tears during the Kalen Jeffrey Painter sentencing. Painter was driving impaired when he hit and killed Ruth Guenther on state Highway 202.

During longer jury trials, Brownhill would often bake cookies for jurors. She said many county residents have tasted her cookies.

Brownhill also performed over 100 weddings in Courtroom 300. Adoption ceremonies were usually happy occasions, as well.

She even used to write poems for all the children.

The judge said she is grateful to foster parents and all they do to care for and meet the needs of children.

“The people I’m able to interact with in the courtroom and in meetings, in the community — that’s the best part about the job,” Brownhill said. “There’s so many people we interact with frequently and I like them all and I will miss that interaction with them as well, but I’ll enjoy being retired.”