A candidate for Jackson County Justice of the Peace withdrew from the primary election race Tuesday after learning she is unqualified to serve because she is not a member of the Oregon State Bar.

Loretta Ellis, a paralegal based in Butte Falls, stated in a withdrawal filing that she “did not clearly see” the Oregon State Bar qualification in a Jackson County Board of Commissioners order when she filed for candidacy Feb. 29.

“We’re sad,” Ellis said in an interview, “but, you know, in due time.”

She meant that there are always future elections and she may consider running for elected office again. For now, Ellis said she wants to finish her online law classes.

The Justice of the Peace is responsible for overseeing the Justice Court, which handles traffic tickets, Oregon Department of Transportation weighmaster violations and municipal code violations.

Joe Charter, who served as Justice of the Peace from 2004 to 2019, was re-appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek on Jan. 5 to succeed Damian Idiart. Charter is running for election in the May 21 primary to keep his seat.

Ahead the upcoming Friday deadline for certain candidates to withdraw, Charter issued a campaign news release saying that Ellis is not a bar member and could not be Justice of the Peace if she were elected.

Charter included a 2004 order by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners establishing a Southern Justice of the Peace District and qualifications for office. A candidate “must be a member of the Oregon State Bar and in good standing.”

In an interview, Charter said he does not blame Ellis for not knowing about the county commissioners’ order.

“You could just do a Google search and come up with the state requirements, which are different than this county board order when they set up the court,” Charter said.

Jackson County Clerk Chris Walker said her office sent Ellis an email stating that for her to qualify as a Justice of the Peace candidate, she must be a member of the Oregon State Bar and prove that she was a member when she filed her candidacy. The deadline to prove it was 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Ellis said she was encouraged to run for office by people close to her, so she Googled the Justice of the Peace position and thought she understood the qualifications, — but failed to find anything stating a Justice of the Peace has to be a lawyer.

Ellis said she also reached out to Jackson County Circuit Court and several other Justices of the Peace throughout the state, but did not receive any responses, before she filed her candidacy.

“It was a half a day, if not a little more, of calling around,” Ellis said. 

In her candidacy filing, Ellis wrote that she owns Ellis & Associates Legal Document Services, which primarily prepares filings in family law cases.

A court-appointed special advocate for children of Jackson County, Ellis opened her own child care center and was a foster parent. She graduated from Eagle Point High School and earned a certificate in business and legal terminology from Delta College.

Ellis said in an interview she wanted to run for Justice of the Peace because she is involved in her community and “law is something that always intrigued me.”

She applauded her former opponent for saying in his news release, “I don’t think it’s her fault. A member of the public might not necessarily know that the County has made bar membership a requirement for the job.”

“That’s very kind, because that’s the truth!” Ellis said with a laugh. “I think this is just what happened.”

Charter said Ellis’s choice to withdraw was “the right thing to do.”

“I just believe a vote is a precious thing,” he said. “If voters thought she could hold the office and she wasn’t qualified under the board order, it would be like throwing your vote away. That’s the only reason I raised the issue.”