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October 18. 2014 12:01AM Reversing course: Hoppe for judge In the May primary, we endorsed Adam Peterson to remain in the judgeship to which he was appointed by Gov. John Kitzhaber. In light of more recent events and information we've gathered, we are changing that position and endorsing prosecutor David Hoppe. Both of these men are intelligent and capable, but there is a vast disparity in their experience, and that experience level — or lack of — has raised legitimate questions that ultimately swayed us to Hoppe's side. Hoppe first became a deputy district attorney in 1996 in Klamath County and moved to the Jackson County D.A.'s office in 2000. He has taken on many of the office's toughest duties in this county, has prosecuted hundreds of Measure 11 cases and has spent years handling child abuse and domestic violence cases. He is respected by his peers — including his legal opponents in court — for his thoroughness and competence. He can be a bulldog with a case, and it is that tenacity and focus that convinces us he will be a judge who will leave no stone unturned in seeking the proper result. Peterson, who was with the Jackson County District Attorney's Office for seven years, is 14 years younger than Hoppe and began his legal career nine years later. We praised him in May as a collaborative member of the Jackson County Circuit Court system, and we still believe that. Peterson says he would try to extend that collaboration to include a mental health court in which multiple parties are brought in to find the best solution for dealing with people who otherwise become chronic offenders. That idea is patterned on the existing drug court and makes sense given the number of such cases that clog the system. Peterson has lined up a number of high-profile endorsements, something Hoppe has avoided, believing that it's inappropriate for a judge to have any sense of obligation to people who could one day appear in his court — especially lawyers. And yet, privately, the local lawyers we spoke with said Hoppe's experience makes him the stronger candidate for the job. They like Peterson and bear him no ill-will, but say he simply does not have the track record that's needed to stay on top of all the legal intricacies that can crop up in the cases that come before the bench. At the age of 33 and with a minimal record of trying significant cases, Peterson is doing too much on-the-job training, they say. As further evidence, Hoppe and other lawyers point to a recent murder case that ended in a mistrial when information was incorrectly given to juries. The trial began with Peterson as the presiding judge, but he eventually stepped aside due to concerns over potential conflicts related to his time in the D.A.'s office. It's complicated, but those on the inside say it was mishandled by Peterson throughout. Peterson is at a disadvantage in defending himself as the case is still active, but the view from people who have no particular stake in the case or the race is that he made multiple errors. Hoppe also says Peterson has inflated his resume by referring to the "thousands" of cases he has handled, when many of those cases were juvenile cases that involved very little time and no court time. He notes Peterson's only murder trial as a prosecutor or judge was the one that ended in a mistrial. Peterson accuses Hoppe of dirty campaigning, but the view in much of the legal community is that while Hoppe is being aggressive, he is right. In the end, Hoppe's experience advantage now convinces us that he is the best choice for the job.     http://www.mailtribune.com/article/20141018/OPINION/141019672 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->