Ann Lininger


Ann Lininger is a judge on the circuit court in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Prior to being appointed as judge, she served as a Democratic state representative representing District 38, which includes most of Lake Oswego and portions of southwestern Portland.

Early life and career

Lininger was born in Ashland, Oregon. She earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a law degree from New York University School of Law. Lininger served as a judicial law clerk for federal judges on the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. She practiced law at Earthjustice and at Hogan Lovells in Colorado. After returning to Oregon, Lininger practiced law at Legal Aid Services of Oregon, Oregon Iron Works, Buckley Law, and the Metropolitan Public Defender. She served as a program officer at the Meyer Memorial Trust, directing programs on financing charitable real estate projects and promoting access to affordable housing.

Political career

In early 2009, Lininger was appointed to fill Martha Schrader's seat on the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners when Schrader was appointed to the Oregon Senate. Lininger won a contested election in 2010 to hold the seat, and she did not seek re-election in 2012. Lininger subsequently worked as general counsel and vice president at Oregon Iron Works.
In December 2013, Chris Garrett resigned from his seat in the Oregon House of Representatives to take a seat on the Oregon Court of Appeals. In January 2014, county commissioners of Multnomah County and Clackamas County unanimously voted to appoint Lininger to fill Garrett's seat.
Lininger won re-election to her legislative seat in 2014 without opposition. She was named a co-chair of a joint legislative committee to oversee the implementation of Ballot Measure 91, which legalized marijuana and she served on the House Judiciary and House Revenue committees. Lininger won a contested election in 2016 to retain her legislative seat, and she thereafter served as Chair of the House Economic Development and Trade Committee, Co-chair of the Joint Committee on Marijuana Regulation, and as a member of the House Judiciary Committee. From 2014-2016, Lininger served as an assistant majority leader in the House Democrats' leadership team.

Appointment to Circuit Court

In July 2017, Oregon Governor Kate Brown appointed Lininger to the circuit court in Clackamas County. She resigned from the House effective August 15 and was sworn in on August 28.

Personal

Lininger and her husband, David White, have two children and live in Lake Oswego.