State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Balmer to become Oregon's next chief justice

Oregonian:

Oregon Supreme Court Justice Thomas A. Balmer will succeed Chief Justice Paul De Muniz to preside over the state's highest court, the state judicial department announced today.

Balmer, 59, will take over as chief justice on May 1, when De Muniz will step down from the post. De Muniz, chief justice since 2006, plans to retire from the court in January 2013. Balmer, who has served on the state supreme court since 2001, was selected by his fellow justices to become the court's 42nd chief justice.

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