Hon. Eric E. Butterfield

Eric Butterfield is a seasoned legal professional who has served as the Position 4 circuit court judge for Oregon’s 20th Judicial District, overseeing the Washington County Circuit Court in Hillsboro. Appointed by Governor Ted Kulongoski in 2010 to fill a vacant seat, he has been re-elected without opposition in 2016, with his current term expiring in January 2023. Butterfield earned a B.A. from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1988 and a J.D. from Willamette University College of Law in Salem in 1991. Prior to his judgeship, he built a robust career in public defense, serving as an assistant federal public defender in Guam, a trial attorney with Baumann & Hull, an associate attorney with the Law Office of Mark DeLapp, and ultimately as attorney and chief attorney for the Metropolitan Public Defender’s Office in Hillsboro. His notable judicial decisions include a 2015 ruling on the legality of up-skirt photography involving a minor, which garnered statewide media attention. Butterfield is a licensed member of the Oregon State Bar and has demonstrated a commitment to public service through his long tenure in the judiciary and public defense.