Chapter V, Section 21 - Municipal Judge

The municipal judge shall be the judicial officer of the city. He shall hold within the city a court known as the municipal court for the city of Hermiston, Umatilla County, Oregon. Except on nonjudicial days, the court shall be open for the transaction of judicial business. All areas within the city shall be within the territorial jurisdiction of the court. The municipal judge shall exercise original and exclusive jurisdiction of all crime and offenses defined and made punishable by ordinances of the city and of all actions brought to recover or enforce forfeitures or penalties defined or authorized by ordinance of the city. He shall have authority to issue process for the arrest of any person accused of an offense against the ordinances of the city, to commit any such person to jail or admit him or her to bail pending trial, to issue subpoenas, to compel witnesses to appear and testify in court on the trial of any cause before him, to compel obedience to such subpoenas, to issue any process necessary to carry into effect the judgments of the court, and to punish witnesses and others for contempt of the court. When not governed by ordinances or this charter, all proceedings in the municipal court for the violations of a city ordinance shall be governed by the applicable general laws of the state governing justices of the peace and justice courts. Trials in the municipal court of cases for violation of a city ordinance shall be had without juries.