Nan Waller

Judge Nan Waller was appointed to the Multnomah County Circuit Court bench in 2001 and currently serves as the mental health court judge, managing the competency docket. She served as presiding judge for six years and chief family court judge. Judge Waller co-chairs the Chief Justice’s Behavioral Health Advisory Council and chairs the Mental Health Subcommittee of the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council. She also serves on the Board of Lines for Life, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide and promoting mental health. Judge Waller previously served as a member of the Criminal Justice Workgroup of the National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness and on the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet. She has served on numerous work groups and committees to improve the justice system, was one of four Executive Sponsors for Oregon eCourt, and was a leader in the planning for a new central courthouse in Multnomah County. Judge Waller has received numerous awards for her work on the bench and in the community, including the National CASA Judge of the Year award, the Classroom Law Project’s Legal Citizen of the Year award, NAMI Oregon’s Gordon and Sharon Smith New Freedom Award, and most recently the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence. Judge Waller received her BA from Stanford University and graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law.

Learn more about Judge Waller’s work to improve responses to people with mental health needs.