Wallace Carson, the chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, told an audience in Roseburg that his rulings on controversial cases don't necessarily reflect his personal opinions.

Carson spoke specifically about the court's Sept. 29 decision that a state law banning a display of sexual conduct was unconstitutional. The case involved a Roseburg sex club. At the same time, the court struck down a Nyssa ordinance regulating the conduct of nude dancers.

In the Roseburg case, Charles Ciancanelli, 34, was convicted in 1999 for promoting sexual conduct in a public show. Police arrested Ciancanelli after undercover police officers paid for a private show in which two women engaged in sexual conduct. The business was open only a short time and closed following Ciancanelli's arrest.

Carson told a forum sponsored by the Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce on Monday that he had concerns about both cases but could only deal with the legal aspects.

"I'm not expressing my own personal opinion in a case. My job as chief justice is to follow the law," Carson said. "People should not assume the way someone votes indicates how they feel about the case itself."

Answering a question on how the court decides to accept cases, Carson said 40 percent of the Supreme Court's caseload involves cases the court is required by law to hear, such as death sentence appeals and cases dealing with titles of ballot measures. The other 60 percent are cases on appeal that the court itself votes to hear.

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