By CONRAD WILSON and LAUREN DAKE/Oregon Public Broadcasting
SALEM — Gov. Tina Kotek has fired Jessica Kampfe, the head of the Oregon Public Defense Commission, which oversees indigent defense for thousands of people charged with crimes who cannot afford a lawyer.
“It is unacceptable that more than 4,000 defendants in Oregon do not have attorneys assigned,” Kotek said in a statement Thursday. “The public defense crisis poses an urgent threat to public safety and delays justice for victims.”
Both the U.S. and Oregon constitutions require the state to pay for attorneys for those who financially qualify. For years, Oregon has struggled to meet those legal obligations, leaving both defendants and victims of crime in limbo.
Oregon’s public defense challenges predate Kampfe, who took over the role in 2022. But under her tenure, the number of criminal defendants without attorneys grew — and with it, frustration from prosecutors, judges and even other public defenders.
Kotek has appointed Ken Sanchagrin as interim director of the agency. He will leave his position as executive director of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, which tracks the effectiveness of criminal justice laws.
Kampfe did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Oregon Chief Justice Meagan Flynn told colleagues in an email that Kampfe “deserves our thanks” for her willingness to take on a challenging job. Not only did Kampfe try to bolster public defense, Flynn said, but she also oversaw the commission’s move at the beginning of the year from the judicial branch of government to the executive.
“We appreciate her dedication to public defense,” the chief justice wrote. Her note also expressed optimism for Sanchagrin taking the helm.
Others were less charitable toward Kampfe’s stewardship of public defense.
“Ken is experienced and the right person to save this sinking ship,” said Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth, who is also president of the Oregon District Attorneys Association.
“This is a significant move by Gov. Kotek, and it’s the right one,” he said. “It’s time we get serious about the out of custody backlog and ensure every criminal defendant and crime victim gets their timely day in court.”
Along with replacing Kampfe, the governor has outlined a set of expectations for the agency, which includes addressing the lack of representation in the six most impacted counties, increasing financial transparency and creating a timeline for “when the unrepresented crisis in Oregon will end.”
The 2025 Legislature is considering budget and policy changes to the public defense commission, and news spread quickly in legislative circles among lawmakers who have been actively trying to address the crisis.
Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, said he had “deep confidence in Ken Sanchagrin’s ability to lead the OPDC forward, and applaud the Governor for taking the current public defense crisis seriously.” Kropf, a former public defender, called Kampfe’s firing “an important step toward ensuring every Oregonian — regardless of income — has access to justice.”
House Republican Leader Christine Drazan of Canby, called on Sanchagrin to lead with integrity.
“Oregonians in need of public defense deserve the state’s full commitment to ensuring swift justice,” Drazan said in a statement. “The appointment of Mr. Sanchagrin is a welcome pivot toward competency from an administration marred in scandal and chaos.”
Kampfe, who previously ran public defense nonprofits in Multnomah and Marion counties, joined the state agency with the hope she would be a stabilizing force. The public defense system was fresh off a public feud between Oregon’s then chief justice who pressed for the firing of the then-public defense leader.
“The folks that we serve really need a strong leader who knows public defense well and who can communicate the values that we hold and the challenges that we face to people in power so that we can get the resources that we need to serve our clients,” Kampfe told OPB when she took the job three years ago. “I think I can do that effectively.”
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