September 14, 2020
We are deeply saddened to learn about the death of retired criminal defense attorney John Culver.
Our office has the utmost respect for John and the work he did on behalf of so many in our community. John will always have a reputation as being an aggressive advocate for the people he worked with. As colleagues and members of the legal profession, we feel this loss keenly.
As a career defense attorney, John worked at Metropolitan Public Defender where he handled many significant cases including felony person crimes. John devoted a great deal of effort and passion into each of his cases, and the rule of law and criminal justice is better for it.
John is remembered as a genuine, caring, kind person and a skilled attorney. Music played a significant part in John’s life. He loved live shows.
His wife, Cathryn Ruckle, is also an attorney and still practices juvenile and dependency law.
“Seminal figures like John support and make our criminal justice system fairer for everyone. He diligently and enthusiastically safeguarded the rights of his clients and worked to prevent abuses of power. We are thinking about John’s family, friends and the clients for whom he helped,” Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said.