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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 18, 2006 Charter withdraws from judge race, endorses Greif Jackson County Bar Association endorses Lisa Greif, spurring Joe Charter to bow out of the race for Circuit Court judge position 9 By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune The youngest candidate for Jackson County’s newest judgeship — and the only woman — has the support of local attorneys, including Joe Charter, who on Monday announced his withdrawal from the race. Lisa Greif, 33, captured the Jackson County Bar Association’s endorsement Monday with about 41 percent of votes cast in the association’s preference poll for Circuit Court judge position 9. Medford attorney Ron Grensky earned support from about 33 percent of attorneys who voted. Finishing third with about 20 percent of the association’s votes, second-time Circuit Court candidate Joe Charter pulled out of the running. He cited the poll as a factor. "I had hoped to do better, frankly," he said. Medford family law attorney Paul L. Henderson logged about 5 percent of the association’s vote. Advertisement Support for Greif, a public defender, comes largely from prosecutors, other criminal defense attorneys and sitting Circuit Court judges Bill Purdy and Lorenzo Mejia. During her eight-year tenure at the Southern Oregon Public Defender, Greif has been a courtroom fixture, acting as lead counsel on numerous serious felonies subject to Measure 11. "People see me as a person who understands the big picture," the Medford resident said. "I’m not soft on crime, even though I’m a public defender." Greif still maintains a caseload of violent crimes while adjusting to her new role as a juvenile defense attorney and counsel for court-protected children. Monday saw Greif representing a 20-year-old mother sent to prison for severely shaking her 1-month-old son. Victoria Elaine Gould was sentenced to eight and a half years amid descriptions of an assault that, Greif admitted in court, would have highly disturbed a jury. Later in the day Greif assumed an advocacy role for children removed from their homes. Such dichotomies give her an advantage when it comes to assuming a judge’s impartiality, Greif said. "I can’t pick and choose my clients," Greif said. "We have to set aside any personal thoughts we have about that person or that case." References to her age, Greif said, should only prove how much she’s accomplished in a short time. A 1998 graduate of the University of Oregon law school, Greif is past president of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the first Medford attorney elected to the position in the organization’s 25-year history. Acknowledging her obvious support from members of the local legal community, Charter pitched his endorsement of Greif Monday. "I think for diversity reasons, we should have another woman on the bench," he said. "I was surprised," Greif said after hearing Charter’s announcement. "He’s just been so diligent about running in the past." The current justice of the peace for the county’s Southern Justice Court in Central Point, Charter was successfully elected to that post after an unsuccessful race in 2002 against Purdy. Charter said he’s found he enjoys hearing traffic cases and having "contact with common people." "I like that focused one-on-one contact with people," he said. He is considering a bid for Ashland Municipal Court judge should the position come open this year, Charter said. The work — similar to his Justice Court caseload right now — would allow him to spend more time nearer his Ashland home and with his two children, he said. Although he has declared himself out of the race, Charter’s name will still appear on the ballot for May’s primary election. Ballots go out April 28. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail Charter withdraws from judge race, endorses Greif ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Email Security Advertisement s Advertisement