Meagan Aileen Flynn was elected by her colleagues as Oregon’s 44th Chief Justice and began service on January 1, 2023. Chief Justice Flynn was initially appointed as an Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court by Governor Kate Brown and sworn in April 4, 2017. She was elected to the position in the May 2018 primary in a competitive race.
Before joining the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Flynn served on the Oregon Court of Appeals beginning in November 2014.
Chief Justice Flynn received her undergraduate degree from Willamette University (BA cum laude in Philosophy and Political Science, 1989) and her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law (JD magna cum laude, 1992), which she attended as a Thomas More Scholar.
Her current extracurricular activities include serving as a member of the board of the Classroom Law Project and as a coach for the We the People team at Franklin High School in Portland and as a regular speaker on issues of professionalism for the Oregon Bench & Bar Commission on Professionalism.
Before being appointed to the Court of Appeals, Chief Justice Flynn:
- Practiced civil appellate law at Preston Bunnell & Flynn, LLP, in Portland, Oregon, primarily handling matters before the Oregon Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Benefits Review Board of the U.S. Department of Labor (partner 2004-14; associate 1999-2004).
- Practiced law as an associate attorney at Pozzi Wilson Atchison, LLP, in Portland, Oregon, where she primarily handled cases in the areas of products liability, personal injury, state workers compensation and federal longshore compensation (1994-99).
- Served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Rick Haselton and Honorable Robert D. Durham on the Oregon Court of Appeals (1992-94).
- Authored appellate briefs on significant issues of Oregon law for the amicus committee of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association.
- Served as a member of the executive committees of the Oregon State Bar Appellate Practice Section, Consumer Law Section, Products Liability Section, and Workers Compensation Section.
- Authored several chapters for legal education publications of the Oregon State Bar and the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association on topics pertaining to appellate practice and insurance litigation, including the chapter on Briefing for the OSB volume Appeal & Review, the Basics.