Meet Charter Member, Janice Stewart, Retired United States Magistrate Judge
Janice Stewart
Parkview Charter Member, Retired United States Magistrate Judge
Can you talk about your background?
I am a 3rd and 4th generation Oregonian on both sides of my family. I first left to go to college at Stanford University and then went to law school at the University of Chicago, which is where I met my husband, Gordy. We relocated back to Portland in 1976. I worked at a law firm as a trial lawyer, mainly doing commercial litigation. My husband, also a trial lawyer, did construction law and represented plaintiffs in business litigation. I stayed at this firm until 1993, when I went on the federal bench.
Can you talk more about your appointment to the bench?
I was appointed to the federal court as a Magistrate Judge and served three, eight-year terms. There are several types of federal court judges. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and District Court judges are all political appointees – nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Other federal court judges are called statutory judges and include Bankruptcy, Court of Claims and Magistrate Judges. These judges are not political appointees and instead go through a merit selection process with recommendations submitted to the lifetime appointed judges, who then appoint the statutory judges.
Is it correct to say that your appointment as a Magistrate Judge was significant at the time?
Yes, that would be correct. I was the first woman appointed as a Magistrate Judge for the District of Oregon, although a woman, Helen Frye, had been previously appointed to the District Court and was on the bench when I joined the court. I was appointed at a time when the legal profession was starting to shift. When I was in law school from 1972 – 1975, only about 15% of my class were women, and there weren’t many women litigators. But that started to change in later years as more women went to law school and entered the legal profession.
Can you talk more about your work as a US Magistrate Judge?
It was a wonderful job. Every case was somewhat different, and I dealt with interesting and challenging constitutional, commercial and other legal issues. Magistrate Judges work at the trial court level with the District Court judges and here in Oregon do everything allowed by statue. With the assistance of law clerks, I had additional research capabilities and the time to write opinions, often 20-30 pages long. Intellectually it was very interesting.
And then you retired in 2016. What’s life been like since then?
It’s been great. Part of the reason I retired was that Gordy had retired several years ahead of me. We were starting to have grandchildren in Seattle and Baltimore and wanted to travel to see them which was difficult when I was working. In addition, for about the past 10 years, we have been traveling to Europe for annual bicycling trips which we thoroughly enjoy. I also like to cook and am usually reading 2 or 3 books at a time. We have a dog, Gabby, who takes us for daily walks. And during the pandemic I finished making a quilt that was started by my great-grandmother in the late 1800s.
What led to your decision to become a Parkview Charter member?
This is a move that we have anticipated making at some point. Gordy has always said that his next move will be from this house to a retirement home, and, in particular, Terwilliger Plaza. We haven’t even considered any place else. While the timing is a few years earlier than we had planned, I do believe that it is better to move earlier rather than later.
When we found out that Parkview was being built, it was a very attractive option to us. I prefer a corner unit with lots of light, a balcony and enough space for a child or grandchild to visit. Essentially, I was looking for a condo type place in which to live. By signing up early, we obtained a corner unit and chose a view south over the park and east towards the river.
You’ve lived in your house almost 30 years – any hesitations or concerns?
We hate to leave this house because we have really enjoyed living in it. But it’s too big for us, and I have gotten to the point where I just don’t want to deal with the maintenance issues any longer. Every time I have to do something, I think that I won’t have to do this anymore once I move to Parkview.
Our hesitation is trying to get rid of things. It’s amazing what one can acquire in 30 years. Part of my plan when I retired was to start cleaning out stuff, but I haven’t accomplished as much as I had hoped by this time. Now with the decision to move to Parkview, I have a deadline.
What are your expectations when you move to Terwilliger and the new Parkview expansion?
One of the benefits of Terwilliger is that it offers a lot of interesting people, activities and lectures. It’s very easy as you age to have your life narrow down far too much. We look forward to meeting new people and learning new things. Terwilliger seems to be the kind of community that we want to be a part of – people who are active and interested in bettering the world.
Also, one benefit of independent living at Terwilliger is the ability not to have a meal plan. We can cook for ourselves if we choose which is not necessarily true for other retirement communities. Also, the foundation of self-governance is very important. We have learned that Terwilliger is the only place where the majority of the board are residents. It’s nice to have that control and not to be controlled by an outside corporation.
The location for us is perfect. It’s so close to downtown and nearby walking trails. I want to have easy access to Portland State and to the cultural activities that Portland offers. And to be able to walk.
Is there a benefit to making this decision, knowing that the building is two years out from completion?
Yes. It gives me the time to downsize!