U.S. District Court

Jury Scam Calls

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon has received reports that people purporting to be Jury Department staff have called members of the public and falsely claimed that their targets failed to report for jury service and owe a fine. Please be advised that the staff of the District of Oregon Jury Department will never call a member of the public to demand money. If you have any questions about whether a communication you receive about federal jury service in Oregon is legitimate, please call 503-326-8100 or e-mail, and the Jury Department will provide accurate information to you.

U.S. Marshals Warn of Phone Scam

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) are alerting the public of a scam involving individuals claiming to be U.S. Marshals. During these calls, scammers attempt to collect money via phone in lieu of having further legal problems. The scammers claim that individuals need to “post bond” or face losing their jobs, custody of their children, or other consequences.

Scammers use many tactics to sound and appear credible. They sometimes provide information such as badge numbers and/or names of actual law enforcement officials. Also, scammers may spoof their phone numbers to appear on caller IDs as if they are calling from a government agency like the USMS.

If you believe you were a victim of such a scam, you are encouraged to report the incident to your local Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office and to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Things to remember:

• U.S. Marshals will never ask for credit/debit card/gift card numbers, wire transfers, or bank routing numbers for any purpose.
• Never divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers.
• Report scam phone calls to your local FBI office and to the FTC.
• You can remain anonymous when you report.

The USMS urges individuals not to divulge personal or financial information to unknown callers and highly recommends the public report similar crimes to their local police departments. If you believe you are a victim of fraud, report the incident through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Also, you should report online, business, or phone scams to the FTC immediately at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Additional information about the USMS can be found at www.usmarshals.gov.

Enhancements Coming to Attorney Sealed Filing April 1

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

As of April 1, 2022, attorneys will have an additional option available to them when making sealed filings: They may choose to restrict only the attached document and attachments instead of the entire entry. This restriction will place the docket entry on the public docket and send notice to all parties while preventing access to the underlying document and attachments. Currently, filings made using both the Motion to File Document Under Seal and the later-filed sealed document filing seal the entire docket entry, which precludes the entry from appearing on the public docket and does not notice any party of the filing. 

Appointment of United States Magistrate Judge Jeffrey J. Armistead

Thursday, March 17, 2022

The Judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon have appointed Jeffrey J. Armistead as a full-time U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Oregon in the Portland Division.  Judge Armistead begins his service on March 21, 2022.  Judge Armistead served the Oregon Court of Appeals for eight years, initially as an Appellate Staff Attorney and then as Senior Staff Counsel.  Prior to the Court of Appeals, Judge Armistead was an attorney in the Trade Practices Division of the Office of General Counsel for the United States Department of Agriculture.  He began his legal career as an Associate with Cooley LLP in Palo Alto, California.  Judge Armistead received his law degree from the University of Iowa.  The Court warmly welcomes Judge Armistead.

Standing Orders Regarding Court Operations During the COVID-19 Emergency

Monday, March 14, 2022

Click here for more more information on Court Operations during the COVID-19 emergency.

Judge Acosta and Judge Sullivan Available for Judicial Settlement Conferences

Friday, January 28, 2022

U.S. Magistrate Judges Acosta and Sullivan have assumed Recall status and continue to be available to lawyers in the district to conduct settlement conferences in their cases. Lawyers interested in scheduling a settlement conference with Judge Acosta are invited to e-mail a request to . Lawyers interested in scheduling a settlement conference with Judge Sullivan are invited to e-mail a request to .

Warning: Beware of Jury Scams

Scammers impersonating courts for the purpose of stealing personal information are becoming increasingly prevalent. The Court will never ask for your Social Security number or other personal identifiers over the phone or by e-mail.  If you are unsure about the validity of a communication purporting to be from the Court, please contact the Jury Administration Department. Click here for more information regarding jury scams and reporting scams to law enforcement.