Chung v. Rosenblum

550 P.3d 977, 372 Or. 422
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJune 6, 2024
DocketS070965
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 550 P.3d 977 (Chung v. Rosenblum) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chung v. Rosenblum, 550 P.3d 977, 372 Or. 422 (Or. 2024).

Opinion

422 June 6, 2024 No. 20

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON

Sandy CHUNG, an individual, and Yvonne Garcia, an individual, Petitioners, v. Ellen ROSENBLUM, Attorney General, State of Oregon, Respondent. (SC S070965)

On petition to review ballot title filed March 21, 2024; considered and under advisement on May 7, 2024.* Kelly Simon, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon, Inc., Portland, filed the petition and reply memorandum for petitioners. Also on those filings was Alicia LeDuc Montgomery. Shannon T. Reel, Assistant Attorney General, Salem, filed the answering memorandum for respondent. Also on the memorandum were Ellen F. Rosenblum, Attorney General, and Benjamin Gutman, Solicitor General. Before Duncan, Garrett, DeHoog, Bushong, James, and Masih, Justices.* DEHOOG, J. The ballot title is referred to the Attorney General for modification.

­­­_ _____________ * Flynn, C.J., did not participate in the consideration or decision of this case. Cite as 372 Or 422 (2024) 423

DEHOOG, J. Petitioners seek review of the Attorney General’s certified ballot title for Initiative Petition 54 (2024) (IP 54), contending that the summary does not comply with the requirements set out in ORS 250.035(2)(d). We review the ballot title to determine whether it substantially complies with those requirements. See ORS 250.085(5) (setting out that standard). For the reasons explained below, we refer the ballot title for IP 54 to the Attorney General for modifi- cation of the summary. I. OVERVIEW OF IP 54 We begin with an overview of IP 54, a copy of which is attached as an Appendix. IP 54 would enact an “Oregon Crimefighting Act,” which, among other provisions, would change current law that applies to the pretrial release of persons charged with “serious crime[s].” IP 54 defines a “seri- ous crime” as any felony or Class A misdemeanor charged in circuit court. IP 54, Part A, § 1.a. Part A of IP 54 contains the operative provisions relating to pretrial release. It first expressly prohibits release before arraignment of any defendant charged with a serious crime. IP 54, Part A, § 2. It next provides that, when a defen- dant is arraigned, the judge shall review the charges and the defendant’s record, and then decide whether the defen- dant shall be released pending trial, based on the follow- ing required considerations: (1) the seriousness of both the charges and the defendant’s criminal record, which includes, to the extent practicable, all arrests and convictions outside of Oregon; and (2) rights established in either the state or federal constitutions, including the right of a crime victim to be reasonably protected from the defendant throughout the criminal justice process, Or Const, Art I, § 43(1)(a), and to have pretrial release decisions be based on the principle of reasonable protection of the victim and the public, as well as the likelihood that the defendant will appear for trial, id. at (1)(b). IP 54, Part A, § 3. Also at arraignment, for any serious crime, the judge is “empowered to establish security 424 Chung v. Rosenblum

as to the appearance” of a defendant, “without restrictions previously imposed by statute.”1 Id. § 4. Part A includes two other provisions. First, for any person arrested and charged with a serious crime in any Oregon circuit court, municipal court, or justice court, all state or local agencies “shall cooperate with and comply with any custodial hold or order associated with such person[,]” including one from any other state or territory, any federal agency, any other Oregon county, and any tribal agency. Id. § 5. Second, “the state shall not approve, facilitate, or rec- ognize any name change” for any person convicted of any felony sex crime, first-degree assault, or murder in Oregon, or in any United States jurisdiction with substantially sim- ilar crimes, unless a court finds that extraordinary circum- stances justify a name change. Id. § 6. Part B of IP 54 provides that local governments shall have the power to criminally prohibit or restrict the following activities: public intoxication, public drinking of alcohol or use of any drug illegal under federal law, disor- derly conduct, and trespassing on public property. Id. § 1. Part C of IP 54 pertains to funding. It first pro- vides that the state, through the Department of Corrections (DOC), shall reimburse each county for the cost of pretrial incarceration of persons charged with serious crimes (with related provisions). Id. Part C, § 1. It also provides that DOC shall provide—at the state’s expense and using DOC per- sonnel—incarceration facilities for adults in custody housed by a county, for any county jail exceeding 90 percent of its capacity for 30 days or more (and continuing until the super- visory authority confirms that the capacity problem has been resolved). Id. §5. Part C also sets out a reimbursement rate for the cost of pretrial incarceration, id. at §§ 2 - 4, and it provides that none of the reimbursement or housing pro- visions described in Part C may be set off by any other fund- ing obligation of the state to any county. Id. § 6.

1 As do current Oregon statutes, IP 54 uses the term “security” to mean the more commonly understood term, “bail.” See, e.g., ORS 135.265(1) (referring to “security amount”). In this opinion, we use the term “security release” to refer to release on bail, but we use the simpler term, “bail,” to refer to the setting of a “security” amount. Cite as 372 Or 422 (2024) 425

If approved by the voters, IP 54 would “super- sede[ ] all inconsistent provisions of Oregon law.” Id. Part D. It would become effective on passage and would apply to crimes committed on or after January 1, 2025. Id. Part E. II. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND The Attorney General prepared a draft ballot title for IP 54, ORS 250.065(3), and the Secretary of State circu- lated that ballot title for public comment, ORS 250.067(1). After considering the substantive comments received, the Attorney General modified her draft ballot title, ORS 250.067(2)(a), and certified the following ballot title to the Secretary of State: “Limits pretrial release, increases state incarcera- tion costs; requires enforcement of other jurisdic- tions’ custodial holds/orders “Result of ‘Yes’ Vote: ‘Yes’ vote limits pretrial release, increasing jail costs; requires enforcing other jurisdictions’ custodial holds/orders; transfers county incarceration costs/duties to state in certain circumstances. “Result of ‘No’ Vote: ‘No’ vote retains current pretrial release system using risk level assessment, county/state incarceration funding system; no requirement to enforce other jurisdictions’ custodial holds/orders. “Summary: Currently, arrested persons may be released before first court appearance, depending on crime charged, risk level assessment. Counties responsible for pretrial incarceration and incarceration sentences under one year. State may agree to house county inmate at county expense. Persons may legally change name unless change inconsis- tent with public interest.

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Chung v. Rosenblum
Oregon Supreme Court, 2024

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Bluebook (online)
550 P.3d 977, 372 Or. 422, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chung-v-rosenblum-or-2024.