Oregon top judge denies conflict led to firing of commission

By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s chief justice has denied that a personality conflict led her to fire all members of a commission that governs the Office of Public Defense Services and appoints its executive director. Chief Justice Martha Walters has had issues with that executive director, Stephen Singer. She said last week that Singer had verbally attacked her during one encounter and blamed him for failing to lead his agency out of a crisis. But Walters says suggestions that personality conflicts were what drove her decision to fire the commission need to stop.