WASHINGTON — Freshman Rep. U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, has been named to the House Judiciary Committee. It’s the second assignment for Bentz, who earlier was named to the House Natural Resources Committee.

The panel deals with legislation on a sweeping list of legal issues: anti-trust, civil rights, constitutional law, immigration, intellectual property and terrorism.

Bentz, a 1977 graduate of the Lewis & Clark Law School, will bring his experience as an attorney and his tenure in both houses of the Oregon Legislature to the committee. 

Bentz replaced longtime Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, as representative of Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District. Walden retired at the end of the last session.

Oregon’s 2nd Congressional District is one of the largest by size in Congress, covering nearly 70,000 square miles in Eastern, Central and Southern Oregon.