Our View: Judicial appointment deserves intense public interest

To be a Circuit Court judge in a rural county like ours is to become deeply woven into the fabric of society. “The bench,” as judgeships are known in legal circles, is far more than a front-row seat for human foibles. The right person can be a genuine force for good.

Paula Brownhill is such a person. As she transitions into semiretirement in November after 25 years on the local bench, we can be thankful for having the benefit of her good sense. Her peers recognize her qualities. She received this year’s Oregon State Bar’s Wallace P. Carson Jr. Award for Judicial Excellence, which honors her for making significant contributions to the judicial system and as “a model of professionalism, integrity and judicial independence.”