Republican 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.

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

The court unanimously rejected an argument from five Republican senators that Measure 113, a 2022 voter-approved law meant to discourage lawmakers from conducting walkouts and, thus, stalling legislative processes, was poorly worded and would give the senators another term in office. The court sided with the state’s attorneys instead saying Measure 113 was clear, and voters understood it to mean that legislators with 10 or more unexcused absences during a session are disqualified from the immediate subsequent term.

“We assume that voters have familiarized themselves with the issue that is presented on the ballot, just as we assume that legislators have familiarized themselves with the bills on which they vote,” the ruling read.

The ruling means 10 Republican senators — one-third of the Senate — 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 2025. 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 awaiting the outcome of the court case.

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.

Knopp has held his seat for more than a decade winning reelection every term since his first in 2012. He told reporters Thursday he has no current plans to run for office again.

Knopp, who represents a portion of Deschutes County including Bend, Redmond and Sisters, called the ruling a negative one during a media briefing Thursday, but expressed optimism for the upcoming 35-day legislative session, which begins Monday.

This session will be different than previous ones, Knopp told reporters.

He has consistently defended the record-breaking legislative walkout since it took place last spring and did so again Thursday.

“Obviously we still have the opportunity to pause the session if we need to for any reason,” he said. “In our vantage point, it’s still an opportunity for Senate Republicans that represent mostly rural Oregon to have influence in the legislative process, which is what our constituents sent us here to do.”

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 statement 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 in 2024: Robinson’s son Noah and Linthicum’s wife and chief of staff, 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.

Linthicum, whose 28th District spans from Klamath County to southern Deschutes County, told The Bulletin in an email Thursday he wasn’t shocked by the ruling.

He added, “It is no surprise that the justices backed their own political party and the Union leadership which sponsored Measure 113. The result is a judicial tragedy that does not bode well for common-sense, free-speech, or justice, in Oregon.”

Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade, who the court ruled in favor of, said she was thankful to the court for providing clarity on how to implement Measure 113.

“I’ve said from the beginning my intention was to support the will of the voters,”  Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade said in a statement Thursday morning. “It was clear to me that voters intended for legislators with a certain number of absences in a legislative session to be immediately disqualified from seeking reelection.”