Family Matters

Written By Joe Hagedorn

I’m running for an open seat on the Family Law bench in part because family is one of my core values. I actually became a father—23 years ago—just around the same time that I launched my legal career as an Americorps legal aid attorney. Fatherhood has been for me a joyful and intense personal experience, but it’s also informed the way I approach my work.

Like all kids, my son didn’t come with a user manual, so Hau and I worked hard to figure out parenting together. At the time there was no paid family leave, so I took just two weeks off after Carter’s birth, while Hau maximized her sick and vacation time and short-term disability to stretch out the weeks she could spend bonding with our son. When my Americorps service ended, I stayed home with Carter while I searched for a new job.

We repeated this stitching together of sick and vacation leave and disability insurance with the next two kids to maximize family time while juggling our careers. It was challenging not being able to spend more time with each kid but we did the best we could. I remember these years like yesterday, and I think they help me approach families who are pulled in multiple directions with more empathy and understanding.

Joe Hagedorn

My name is Joe Hagedorn, and I am running for Judge of the District Court in Multnomah County in the November 2026 election. My core values are compassion, integrity and fairness. As a public defender and judge pro tem/referee, I’ve worked on the issues that shape kids’ lives: custody, juvenile justice, and families in crisis. I hear cases every day involving people in crisis, and so I understand the difficult, high-stakes situations facing children and families who appear in court, especially those who lack the assistance of an attorney. I know that when people come before me in the courtroom, they must talk about and relive the worst day of their life. I keep this in mind to weave empathy and compassion through my interactions and deliberations. I operate with the hope that my trauma-informed, empathetic approach to the people who appear before me can provide a foundation to empowering people to make positive changes in their lives.

https://www.hagedornforjudge.com
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