Thomas Ancil Balmer (born January 31, 1952) is a former justice and chief justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), 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.

. A native of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, he was appointed to the court in 2001 as a justice, later serving as chief justice from 2012 to 2018. He retired on December 31, 2022.

Early life

Balmer was born on January 31, 1952, in

Longview, Washington Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, Cowlitz County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. It is the principal city of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cowlitz County. Longvie ...

. He graduated from the now-closed Jackson High School in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. Balmer graduated from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

Oberlin Oberlin may refer to: ; Places in the United States * Oberlin Township, Decatur County, Kansas ** Oberlin, Kansas, a city in the township * Oberlin, Louisiana, a town * Oberlin, Ohio, a city * Oberlin, Licking County, Ohio, a ghost town * Oberlin, ...

, Ohio in 1974, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with High Honors. Balmer graduated from the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 180 full-time and part-time facul ...

in 1977.

Legal career

Balmer began his legal career with the Boston law firm of Choate, Hall & Stewart in 1977. He served in the Antitrust Division of the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...

from 1979 to 1980. He returned to private practice, joining the Washington, D.C. law firm of Wald, Harkrader & Ross in 1980. Returning to Oregon in 1982, Balmer worked at Lindsay, Hart, Neil & Weigler, becoming a partner in 1986. Balmer taught at

Lewis & Clark Law School The Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College (also known as Lewis & Clark Law School), is an American Bar Association#Accreditation of U.S. law schools since 1923, American Bar Association-approved private law school in the United ...

from 1983 to 1984, and again from 1990 to 1992 as an adjunct professor. He also was an adjunct professor of antitrust law at

Willamette University College of Law The Willamette University School of Law (previously known as the Willamette University College of Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Wil ...

in 2018–19. From 1986 to 1987 he was the chairperson of the

Oregon State Bar The Oregon State Bar (OSB) is a public corporation and instrumentality of the Oregon Judicial Department in the U.S. state of Oregon. Founded in 1890 as the private Oregon Bar Association, it became a public entity in 1935 that regulates the lega ...

antitrust law Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust ...

section, and in 1992 to 1993 he was chairperson of the

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 metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

Legal Aid Service’s Board of Directors. Later he served as a deputy attorney general for the state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

from 1993 to 1997. While there he worked for the

Oregon Attorney General The Oregon attorney general is a statutory officer within the executive branch of the U.S. state, state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Oregon Department of Justice, Department of Justice with its six op ...

Ted Kulongoski Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the List of Governors of Oregon, 36th governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrati ...

.The Honorable Thomas A. Balmer.
Oregon Judicial Department. Retrieved on November 26, 2007. Balmer is a former partner of Ater Wynne LLP, focusing on antitrust law, government regulations, and commercial litigation. In 1997, he became a member of the board of directors for

Classroom Law Project A classroom, schoolroom or lecture room is a learning space in which both children and adults learn. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, ranging from preschools to universities, and may also be found in other place ...

, and from 2000 to 2001, he served as an adjunct professor of

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adjac ...

, 2000–2001. On September 20, 2001 Balmer was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court. Governor

John Kitzhaber John Albert Kitzhaber (born March 5, 1947) is an American former politician and physician who served as the 35th and 37th governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003 and again from 2011 to 2015. In February 2015, shortly after beginning his fourth term, ...

appointed Balmer to replace Ted Kulongoski after Kulongoski resigned to campaign for governor. (Kulongoski later won the election to replace Kitzhaber.) Balmer was then elected to a full six-year term in 2002 and re-elected to new terms in 2008, 2014, and 2020. In January 2012 it was announced that Balmer's fellow justices had selected him to become the new chief justice of the court, from May 1, 2012, replacing

Paul De Muniz Paul J. De Muniz (born June 8, 1947) is a retired American judge in the state of Oregon. He is the first Hispanic Chief Justice in the history of the Oregon Supreme Court. He was elected to the court in 2000, and elected as chief justice in 2006. ...

Martha Lee Walters Martha Lee Walters (born October 23, 1950) is an American labor attorney and who served as the 43rd Supreme Court of Oregon, chief justice of Oregon from 2018 to 2022; she was a member of the court from 2006 to 2022. She became the first female ju ...

succeeded Balmer as chief justice on July 1, 2018, although Balmer has continued to serve as a justice. In October 2022, Balmer announced his retirement from the Supreme Court at the end of the year.

Select publications

*"Recombinant DNA: Legal Responses to a New Biohazard." ''

Environmental Law Environmental laws are laws that protect the environment. The term "environmental law" encompasses treaties, statutes, regulations, conventions, and policies designed to protect the natural environment and manage the impact of human activitie ...

'', vol. 7, no. 2, 1977, pp. 293–313. *Co-author of ''

Antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

Review of Proposed Administrative Actions'', 61 B.U. L. Rev. 90, (1981). *Co-author of ''Conflicts Between State Law and the

Sherman Act The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 (, ) is a United States antitrust law which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce and consequently prohibits unfair monopolies. It was passed by Congress and is named for ...

'', 44 U. Pitt. L. Rev. 1 (1982). *"Of Energy, Antitrust, and Institutional Competence: A Note on ''Alabama Power Co. v. Nuclear Regulatory Commission''.” ''Environmental Law'', vol. 14, no. 2, 1984, pp. 257–76. *"Holmes on Law as a Business and a Profession.” ''

Journal of Legal Education The Association of American Law Schools (AALS), formed in 1900, is a non-profit organization of 175 law schools in the United States. An additional 19 schools pay a fee to receive services but are not members. AALS incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non- ...

'', vol. 42, no. 4, 1992, pp. 591–93. *"'Present Appreciation and Future Advantage:' A Note on the Influence of Hobbes on Holmes." ''

American Journal of Legal History The ''American Journal of Legal History'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed law journal. It was established in 1957 and has been published by Oxford University Press since 2016. History The journal was established by Temple University law library direc ...

'', vol. 47, no. 4, 2005, pp. 412–34. *"''Does Oregon's Constitution Need a Due Process Clause?" Thought on Due Process and Other Limitations on State Action'', from ''State Constitutional Law Symposium in Honor of Justice Robert F. Utter'', organized by Hugh D. Spitzer, 91 Wash. L. Rev. Online 157-76 (2016).

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Balmer, Thomas A. 1952 births Living people 21st-century American state court judges Chief justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Lewis & Clark College faculty Oberlin College alumni People from Longview, Washington United States Department of Justice lawyers University of Chicago Law School alumni