Opinion ID: 1349774
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Hopkins mandamus case.

Text: After this court issued its decision in State ex rel Hopkins v. Schenck, supra , in which the court directed that a peremptory writ issue, the Judge sent a letter to the justice who was the author of the court's opinion. The letter was received at the court on July 24, 1992. Copies of the letter were not sent to the other party or counsel. The letter was signed by the Judge as R.D. Schenck Circuit Judge. The letter stated that the Judge's only gripe concerning this court's opinion was with what the Judge labeled a gratuitous quotation of a statement by Anderson. The letter asserted that Anderson's statement was untrue and that the Judge had never had an opportunity to challenge it in the mandamus case. At the time the Judge's letter was received, the time for a petition for reconsideration of this court's mandamus decision had not yet expired. The Judge's letter thus was an ex parte communication concerning a pending proceeding. It was initiated by the Judge in his capacity as a defendant in a mandamus action. We conclude that sending the letter during the formal pendency of the mandamus case violated Canon 3 A(4). In this instance, however, we do not conclude that the Judge committed a wilful violation of Canon 3 A(4). There is not clear and convincing evidence that the Judge was aware of circumstances that made the ex parte rule apply on these facts, as is required for a wilful violation under In re Gustafson, supra, 305 Or. at 660, 756 P.2d 21. Specifically, the record does not establish by clear and convincing evidence that the Judge was aware that the mandamus case was still pending for purposes of the ex parte rule, after this court had issued its decision and had ordered a peremptory writ to issue, but before the period for a petition for reconsideration had expired. In summary, we conclude that the Judge wilfully violated Canons 1, 2 A, and 3 A(4) in the Vaughan case, but not in the Hopkins mandamus case.