Ann Lininger ( ; born 1968) is an American attorney, politician, and jurist serving as a judge on the circuit court in

Clackamas County Clackamas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the Native ...

in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

. Prior to being appointed as judge, she was a member of the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of t ...

from the 38th district, which includes most of Lake Oswego and portions of southwestern

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Early life and education

Lininger was born in

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 ce ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

from the

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in Ne ...

Career

Lininger served as a judicial law clerk for federal judges on the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. She practiced law at

Earthjustice Earthjustice (originally Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) is a nonprofit public interest organization based in the United States dedicated to litigating environmental issues. Headquartered in San Francisco, it has 14 regional offices across the Un ...

and at Hogan Lovells in Colorado. After returning to Oregon, Lininger practiced law at Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Oregon Iron Works, Buckley Law, and the Metropolitan Public Defender. She served as a program officer at the

Meyer Memorial Trust Fred G. Meyer (February 21, 1886 – September 2, 1978)"Fred Meyer, Retail Empire Builder, Dies at 92" (September 3, 1978). ''The Sunday Oregonian'', p. 1. was an American businessman who founded the Oregon-based Fred Meyer store chain, whic ...

, directing programs on financing charitable real estate projects and promoting access to affordable housing.

Politics

In early 2009, Lininger was appointed to fill

Martha Schrader Martha Northam Schrader ( née Northam, born August 12, 1953) is an American politician and educator who has served as a member of the Board of Commissioners of Clackamas County, Oregon since 2012. Schrader previously served in the Oregon Senat ...

's seat on the

Board of Commissioners when Schrader was appointed to the

Oregon Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

. Lininger won a contested election in 2010 to hold the seat, and she did not seek re-election in 2012. Lininger subsequently worked as general counsel and vice president at

Oregon Iron Works Oregon Iron Works, Inc. (OIW) is an American manufacturer of complex structural components and systems and specialized vehicles, located in the Clackamas area in the southeastern suburbs of Portland, Oregon (within the Portland metropolitan area ...

. In December 2013, Chris Garrett resigned from his seat in the

to take a seat on the

Oregon Court of Appeals The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the US state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has thirteen judges and is located in Salem. Except for death penalty cases, which are reserved to the O ...

. In January 2014, county commissioners of

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Tho ...

and

(both of which are represented by the House seat) unanimously voted to appoint Lininger to fill Garrett's seat. Lininger won re-election to her legislative seat in 2014 without opposition. She was named a co-chair of a joint legislative committee to oversee the implementation of Ballot Measure 91, which legalized marijuana and she served on the House Judiciary and House Revenue committees. Lininger won a contested election in 2016 to retain her legislative seat, and she thereafter served as Chair of the House Economic Development and Trade Committee, Co-chair of the Joint Committee on Marijuana Regulation, and as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. From 2014-2016, Lininger served as an assistant majority leader in the House Democrats' leadership team.

Circuit Court

In July 2017, Oregon Governor

Kate Brown Katherine Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 38th governor of Oregon since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms as the state representative from the 13th district of the O ...

appointed Lininger to the circuit court in Clackamas County. She resigned from the House effective August 15 and was sworn in on August 28.

Personal

Lininger and her husband, David White, have two children and live in

References

External links

Legislative website

Project VoteSmart biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lininger, Ann Members of the Oregon House of Representatives County commissioners in Oregon Politicians from Ashland, Oregon Politicians from Lake Oswego, Oregon Oregon state court judges Yale University alumni New York University School of Law alumni Living people 1968 births 21st-century American politicians People associated with Hogan Lovells