Biography
Darleen Ortega has served as a judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals since 2003 and is the first woman of color and the only Latina to serve as an appellate judge in Oregon. Before becoming a judge, she practiced law for 14 years, focusing her practice on all types of civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels. In her time on the bench, Judge Ortega has distinguished herself as a court and community leader on issues of juvenile dependency, access to justice, and addressing racism and other manifestations of structural inequity. Judge Ortega regularly teaches Access to Justice at the College of Law.