Oregon is still struggling to fix problems with payroll system for state employees.

SALEM — Conservative senators who participated in the longest walkout in state history — including Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend — won’t be able to seek reelection in 2024 or 2026, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday, Feb. 1.

The ruling effectively ends Knopp’s career in the Oregon Senate — at least for now.

In a unanimous decision, the court rejected arguments from five senators that a voter-approved 2022 law meant to dissuade lawmakers from walking out and shutting down the legislative process was poorly worded and would give them another term in office. Instead, the court agreed with state attorneys, who urged justices to consider voters’ intent with the 2022 law, which bars any lawmaker with 10 or more unexcused absences from serving another term.

“Because the text is capable of supporting the secretary’s interpretation, and considering the clear import of the ballot title and explanatory statement in this case, we agree with the secretary that voters would have understood the amendment to mean that a legislator with 10 or more unexcused absences during a legislative session would be disqualified from holding legislative office during the immediate next term, rather than the term after that,” the ruling said.

The ruling means 10 conservative senators — nine Republicans and one independent — are ineligible for reelection. Two of the 10, Sens. Bill Hansell of Athena and Lynn Findley of Vale, already planned to retire. Four others — Sens. Daniel Bonham of The Dalles, Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek, Kim Thatcher of Keizer and Suzanne Weber of Tillamook — were elected to four-year terms in 2022 and will serve until January 2027.

And four, including Knopp, must end their Senate careers — at least temporarily — in January. Knopp and Sens. Brian Boquist of Dallas, Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls and Art Robinson of Cave Junction all tried to file for reelection last year and were waiting on the outcome of the court case.

Knopp has held his seat for more than a decade, winning reelection every term since his first in 2012. Knopp has consistently defended the record-breaking legislative walkout since it took place last spring.

Each previously designated a successor if they were barred from running. Knopp earlier this month endorsed Shannon Monihan, executive director of the Downtown Bend Business Association, to run in his stead. However, Monihan’s candidacy is still pending, according to filing records.

“We obviously disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling,” Knopp said in a press release Thursday morning. “But more importantly, we are deeply disturbed by the chilling impact this decision will have to crush dissent.”

Bend City Councilor Anthony Broadman, the lone Democratic candidate for Knopp’s district, wasted little time Thursday in thanking Knopp for his service.

“Senator Knopp has fought hard for Central Oregon,” Broadman said in a release Thursday morning. “I look forward to working with Senator Knopp over the remainder of his term to meet our challenges on public safety, housing, and growth in Central Oregon.”

Robinson and Linthicum chose family members to succeed them: Robinson’s son Noah and Linthicum’s wife, Diane, both filed for office last year. Dundee City Councilor and former lawmaker Bruce Starr, a Boquist supporter, filed to run for Boquist’s seat.

The ruling has immediate implications for the upcoming legislative session, which begins Monday, Feb. 5. Democrats need at least three Republican senators to show up each day to conduct business because of the Legislature’s two-thirds quorum requirement, and Knopp told reporters Wednesday, Jan. 31, that Democrats would need to entice lame-duck Republicans to participate if the Supreme Court ruled against them.

Bulletin reporter Anna Kaminski contributed to this report.