The Hon. Chanpone Sinlapasai

The Honorable Chanpone Sinlapasai was appointed to the Multnomah County Circuit Court by Governor Kate Brown and was sworn in as a circuit court judge on September 20, 2021. She is assigned to the court’s general trial docket, presiding over both civil and criminal matters.

Judge Sinlapasai was born in Laos and came to America as a Refugee in 1980. She was resettled in Stockton, California and was raised in Northern California. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from Santa Clara University in 1998. She earned her J.D. from Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in May 2002. She began her legal career as an advocate for victims of crime and violence at Immigrant Refugee Community Organization and Catholic Charities. She later became an Associate for the Law Office of John Marandas. She became a member and partner of Marandas Sinlapasai Garcia, LLC.

Judge Sinlapasai’s legal practice focused on cases involving the protection of victims’ rights throughout the immigration process. She represented clients in removal defense proceedings and assisted in her client’s cases both in the federal and state criminal justice systems. She founded programs to assist immigrant and refugees, such as Refugee Adjustment Day (RAD), citizenship workshops, and know your rights clinics in partnership with community partners and specialty bars. As an attorney she tirelessly advocated for the community, especially marginalized communities throughout the litigation system.

Judge Sinlapasai is a past chair and commissioner of the Oregon Commission on Asian Pacific Islander Affair, Board member of Oregon, American Civil Liberties Union, Past chair and board member of the Immigrant Refugee Community Organization, Federal Bureau of Investigation Citizens Academy and the Federal and State task force on Anti-Human trafficking team. As an attorney, her firm was a member of the Mexican Consulates Protection Team. Judge Sinlapasai is a member Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLS), Oregon Pacific Asian American Bar Association (OAPABA), Oregon Minority Lawyers Association (OMLA), and Multnomah Bar Association (MBA). Judge Sinlapasai speaks at continuing legal education seminars for the Oregon State Bar, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Oregon Department of Justice, Oregon’s specialty bars, and State and Federal Law Enforcement, to name a few.

Outside of the court, Judge Sinlapasai loves spending time with her family, hiking, reading books, and cooking with her family.