News The U.S. Senate last night voted to confirm Amanda Marshall as the U.S. Attorney for Oregon. Marshall, currently in charge of the child advocacy section of the Oregon Department of Justice, replaces interim U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton as the state's top federal prosecutor. Holton—and before him Kent Robinson—served in interim roles after former U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut resigned in July 2009. ...   More

Murmurs Two prominent lawmakers are close to major career moves: Two-term state Rep. Jefferson Smith (D-East Portland) spent the weekend at the coast with his wife to arrive at a decision whether to enter t   More

News This past spring, U.S. Attorney for Oregon Dwight Holton followed the lead of several U.S. attorneys in other states and issued a strongly worded letter warning medical-marijuana dispensaries—and their landlords—that they were violating federal drug-trafficking laws.Now, Holton's campaign—which he said led to a death threat against his staff—has claimed a victim in Portland.The Foster Healing ...   More

News U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton tells WW his office received a string of critical calls and one death threat last week after he put out a strongly worded warning to Oregon medical-marijuana dispensaries.Immediately following Holton's June 3 warning that businesses selling marijuana "will not be tolerated," he says his office in Portland received calls in support of his stand. The letters sent out to dozens ...   More

News U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sent one of his top deputies to Portland on Wednesday to announce a review of the Portland Police Bureau, aimed at determining whether police officers have exhibited a pattern of civil rights abuses. The review is a part of the Obama Justice Department's renewed pursuit of civil rights cases following years of neglect during the George W. Bush years—and ...   More

News Two days after WW published a story exposing rifts between law enforcement and some medical-marijuana operations, U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton and many Oregon district attorneys have issued a stern warning to this booming local industry."The sale of marijuana for any purpose—including as medicine—violates both federal and Oregon law and will not be tolerated," says the warning from the U.S. Attorney's ...   More

News WW wrote a couple weeks back about state and federal officials calling a summit in response to what they called a nationwide prescription drug problem. We went to the summit today and learned the following three things from the gathering called by Attorney General John Kroger, Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Acting U.S. Attorney Dwight Holton: 1) Drug-induced deaths are on the rise, especially among ...   More

News The applicants to be the next U.S. Attorney for Oregon include a slew of white men, at least one African-American man, and a woman who has set up a Facebook page to solicit support. Like the two federal judgeships currently in play, the U.S. Attorney's job requires presidential appointment and is highly coveted in legal circles. The U.S. Attorney for Oregon is the state's top federal prosecutor ...   More

News Over the weekend, a 13-person selection committee interviewed candidates for two plum federal law enforcement posts in Oregon: U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal. The U.S. Attorney's spot in particular is a high-profile position and highly desirable. Going into the weekend, many insiders speculated that Dwight Holton, an assistant U.S. Attorney was likely to be one of three finalists. The son of ...   More

News At a news conference this morning with a murdered man's family, Mayor Sam Adams announced one of his solutions to Portland gang violence: a phone number for callers to connect with gang outreach services. Adams described the hotline as "one-stop shopping" for gang members to connect with "the bureaucracy." He said the hotline should be ready in three weeks. Meanwhile, Portlanders continue ...   More