APRIL 21. 2006
jUStjOUt 13
!
northwest
Justice for All
Tu won Equity Foundations Bill & Ann
Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund for his commit
Minority rights champion runs for judge
ment to equal rights and justice for queers. His vari
by Malka Geffen
ous awards and fellowships are too numerous to
ormer Multnomah County Circuit Court
brother, Phu. He also devotes his time
mention, but all of his accolades are testaments to
judge David Gernant, the first openly gay
and energy to the financially disad
his professionalism and leadership and to the respect
male judge in Oregon, retired this month,
vantaged, who have been historically
of his fellow students, professors and colleagues.
leaving the fourth district position open
blocked from equal access to the judi
Tu handles a variety of commercial, business,
and highly contested. At the age of 32,
cial system because of their socioeco
corporate, legal malpractice defense, real estare and
Trung Tu is the youngest of the five candidates
nomic status. Tu speaks of the two
employment cases, and he represents a diverse set
vying for the position. He is also the only gay
ways he keeps this balancing act
of clients, which he says gives him the experience
candidate in the race.
going: “Lots of energy and a well-
he needs for the bench. Before joining McEwen
tuned calendar.”
Gisvold in 2003, he had a broad and varied legal
When the circuit court judge seat opened, Tu
was encouraged hy his mentors and colleagues to
Tu also realizes he owes much of his
run. “1 have wanted to he a judge for as long as 1
tenacity to the struggles he encoun
can remember,” he says, “and it’s rare to he able to
tered as both a racial and sexual
run for this position.”
minority. He was born in Phan Thiet, South
funding for prohibiting military recruitment on
Circuit court judges usually retire midterm, at
Vietnam, in 1973 and moved to Portland as a young
their campuses. He says the military’s “don’t ask,
Tu distinguishes himself from his many oppo
which point the governor appoints a successor. The
child and refugee of the Vietnam War. He did not
don’t tell" rule makes it impossible for member
nents by having “a broader background in civil
incumbent judge tends to run unopposed in sub
speak English when he arrived and said he was often
institutions of the Association of American Law
law."
sequent elections. Tu says he is not entrenched in
taunted, teased and heat up because of his immi
Schools to comply with policies of prohibiting
Philbrook, Cheryl Albrecht and Kathleen Payne
the “legal culture,” which has an unspoken rule
grant status. He remembers when his family was on
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
mainly practice criminal and family law. Another
that only more seasoned attorneys qualify as
welfare and had no understanding of their new legal
and demanding the same of any employer to which
difference, which might be most significant to the
appointees. He hopes Multnomah County citizens
system. Despite the inequities he and his family
the institution grants access for employment. As an
queer community, is that Tu is the only candidate
will realize they have a rare opportunity to elect
faced, Tu worked hard and, in 1995, graduated from
attorney, Tu continues supporting underdog causes
to be endorsed by Oregon Supreme Court Justice
someone with a fresh perspective to a judiciary
University of Notre Dame. He returned to Portland
by mentoring minority law students and providing
Rives Kistler, the only openly gay supreme court
that, as he says, “is seriously lacking in diversity.”
to receive his juris doctor from Lewis &. Clark
pro bono work for Q Center.
justice in the United States.
Tu is young and hip and does more hy the
Portland litigation and appellate attorney Trung Tu is running
for Multnomah County Circuit Court judge.
career. After he clerked at the Oregon Department
of Justice, he worked at the Multnomah County
District Attorney’s Office and for the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco.
He says challengers Lane
Borg, Julia
“My goal is to give back to the community,” he
College in 2000.
lamplight of the midnight hour than most of us do
“It is important to be out and be respected,” Tu
says. “As a circuit court judge, I’ll be in a better
Meet T rung T u and Oregon Supreme Court
all day. When he’s not handling a variety of civil
says about coming out in his college years. He
position to ensure that all litigants have equal
candidate Virginia Linder over coffee and snacks
cases at McEwen Gisvold, he is serving on the
remembers the zeal with which, as a law student, he
access in the legal system regardless of who they are
12:30 p.m. April 23 at Bridgeport United Church of
Oregon State Bar’s committee on affirmative
fought against the Solomon Amendment, which
and that they’ll be treated with respect, dignity and
Christ, 621 N.E. 76th Ave. RSVP to Susie
action and single-handedly raising his 11-year-old
denies institutions of higher education federal
compassion.”
Shepherd at 503'286' 1752.
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