Mary J. Deits

Mary J. Deits (born 1949) is lawyer and judge who served as the first woman to be chief judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals.

Early life and education Deits was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from high school in Medford, Oregon.

She attended college at Oregon State University, graduating with a B.A. in sociology in 1971.

On February 28, 1986, Deits was appointed to the Oregon Court of Appeals by then-Governor Victor Atiyeh. She was the second woman to serve on the court, after Betty Roberts. She was elected in 1986, then re-elected in 1992 and 1998. She was the first woman to serve as chief justice of the Oregon Court of Appeals, and one of the first women in the U.S. to serve as a chief justice of a state court of appeals. She also served as the president of the national Chief Judges Association. but maintains active work as a mediator and arbitrator.

The Oregon Women Lawyers recognized her with the Justice Betty Roberts Award, given to outstanding promotion of women in law, in 2007.