• April 1, 2024
          Finalists reading: Creative Nonfiction, Fiction and Poetry
          April 3, 2024
          One Page Wednesday: APRIL
          April 4, 2024
          Everybody Reads 2024: Gabrielle Zevin
          April 8, 2024
          2024 Oregon Book Awards Ceremony
  • Box Office
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  3. Justice Adrienne Nelson
Justice Adrienne Nelson

Justice Adrienne Nelson

Associate Justice, Oregon Supreme Court

Justice Adrienne Nelson was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court on January 2, 2018, making her the first African American to sit on the state’s highest court and any appellate state court. In 2006, she was appointed as a trial judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court in Portland, Oregon, making her the second African American female judge in the state of Oregon. Prior to her judicial appointments, she worked as a public defender with Multnomah Defenders, Inc., then as an associate with the Bennett, Hartman, Morris and Kaplan, LLP law firm and as the Senior Attorney/Coordinator of the Portland State University Student Legal and Mediation Services. Justice Nelson earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Criminal Justice, summa cum laude, from the University of Arkansas.

Over the years, Justice Nelson has been very active in the legal community and the greater Oregon community. She is a frequent speaker on a number of topics including diversity, inclusion, equity, leadership and professional development. Justice Nelson also serves as a mentor to many people. Currently she sits on the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Public Education, is the Oregon delegate to the ABA House of Delegates (before this position, she had been elected seven times as an Oregon State Bar (OSB) delegate), chairs the Lewis and Clark Law School Judge Roosevelt Robinson Scholarship Committee and is vice-president of the Owen M. Panner American Inn of Court.

In the community, Justice Nelson sits on the Reed College Board of Trustees, the Self-Enhancement, Incorporated (SEI) Board of Directors, the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars Advisory Board, and the Oregon Community Foundation Metropolitan Portland Leadership Council where she chairs the Outreach to the Black Community committee. Justice Nelson is a tireless encourager and connector helping people succeed by living their best lives.

 

Events, Classes, and Seminars

Our events, classes, and seminars bring the community together to hear, learn, and discuss the most compelling issues and ideas of our day. We hope you will join us in our downtown Literary Arts space, online, and at partnering venues across Portland and Oregon.