By Opio Sokoni
Gov. Kate Brown has taken another step in changing the make-up of the courts by appointing Erious Johnson, a former director of civil rights for the Oregon Department of Justice, to the Marion County bench. Johnson is an African American with a law degree from an HBCU. He graduated from the historically Black institution Howard University in 2002. This is the same law school where Thurgood Marshall received his law degree.
“The feeling is one of accomplishment. This is a goal I have been working toward since I graduated from law school. The journey to this point holds as much importance to me as the accomplishment itself,” said Judge Johnson.
Erious Johnson was an attorney in private practice before the appointment which takes place immediately. He has filled the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Susan Tripp. Kate Brown made it a focus to change powerful institutions that have historically lacked Black inclusion and other areas of non-white male diversity. Although judges are elected in Oregon, retiring judges create opportunities for governors to make appointments.
In referring to the governor’s appointment of him to the bench, Johnson stated, “I am humbled and honored by her confidence. I thank Judge Tripp for her years of service to our community. I am grateful too for the outpouring of support from community members and elected officials. Next I’m looking forward to joining my colleagues on the bench and building upon my years of service to the public.”
Judge Johnson has made it his mission to help youth, young attorneys and future lawyers. In his words of encouragement to them he said, “You can control your destiny. You can change the world. You can be whoever you want to be. Keep an open mind about who you choose to support, and who you choose to support you.”
Erious Johnson will now see cases in the circuit court where his former agency regularly appears to represent state agencies involved in lawsuits. He was in the news for suing the ODOJ accusing the agency of denying him his civil rights and discriminating against him because he is Black. In that suit, an investigator was said to have targeted Johnson because of his use of the Black Lives Matter hashtag. Johnson’s tweets concerned the rap group Public Enemy, however, it was negatively presented as something other than that. Erious Johnson won a settlement and two employees were fired in that case.
In response to any takeaways from the lawsuit he won against the DOJ, he said, “Be true to yourself and what you stand for. It may sound like a cliche but it will guide you through the times of doubt. Do not burn bridges (if you can really help it). Our society could benefit from a shift in paradigm: Conflict does not always mean destruction.”
Johnson grew up in Queens, New York, and graduated from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1991. He is married to another Howard law school alum, Nkenge Harmon Johnson. She is a former aide of Senator Harry Reid and current President/CEO of the Urban League of Portland. Nkenge is from Salem, Oregon. When ask How has graduating from an HBCU (Howard University School of Law) prepared him for what has happened in his career up to this point he states, “I would not be where I am today if it were not for the HUSL and my classmates. HUSL gave me so much confidence and self esteem. I felt loved and protected. It’s where I met my wife and partner, Nkenge Harmon Johnson. I was challenged and applauded. When I graduated and went into the legal world, I had the intangibles that propelled me to success. I was able to overcome obstacles and pitfalls because of the strong foundation I built at HUSL.”
