SECTION I

BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION

1. Name as it will appear on the ballot

First Name	Middle Initial or Nick Name	Last Name
Julia	L	Garratt

2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):

King County Superior Court, Position 23

3. Are you the incumbent? Yes No

4. How long have you resided in this district/city?

Since 1961, 40 years

5. How long have you resided in King County?

40 years

6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan

7. If partisan, please indicate party: N/A

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

Campaign Name:

Committee to Elect Julia Garratt

Address:

PMB 161, 6947 Coalcreek Parkway SE

City/State/Zip:

Newcastle, WA 98059

Campaign Phone:

(206) 353-9963 or (206) 235-0995

Campaign Fax:

None

Campaign E-mail:

jgarratt@w-link.net

Campaign Website:

www.garratt4judge.com

POLITICAL BACKGROUND

1. Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices which you have held. Include positions on appointive Boards or Commissions.

Public Office

Elective or Appointive?

Dates Held

Leadership Role (if any)

Board Member, Indeterminate Sentence Review Board

Appointed by Governor's Lowry and Locke

4/94 to present

As one of three Board Members on the ISRB I represent the Governor in carrying out my duties. In this capacity I chair committees on the Board and am actively engaged with staff in implementing rules and procedures affecting my office. These are governed by RCW 9.95 and WAC 381-70

Washington Women Lawyers - Board Member on State Board

Appointed

1/01 - 6/03

Newsletter/Website Editor

Washington Women Lawyers - Director on Foundation

Appointed

1/03 to present

I am one of 8 directors on the foundation

2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:

Office Title

Year of Run

None

SECTION III

In this section, we are seeking responses that reflect the four ratings criteria: involvement, effectiveness, character, and knowledge. These are defined as follows:

Involvement: What has the candidate done previously in family, neighborhood, community, volunteer work, employment or public life to suggest readiness to accomplish challenging objectives? How do these activities demonstrate readiness for the challenges unique to the office sought?

Effectiveness: Has the candidate demonstrated promise of being productive in the office sought? Has the candidate shown the ability to work with other people?

Character: Do the candidate's personal traits show the ability to take on the responsibilities of campaigning for and holding the public office she or he is seeking? Is the candidate a leader, participant or observer? Is the candidate trustworthy, reliable and candid?

§ Knowledge: Has the candidate demonstrated the willingness and ability to learn and adapt? Does the candidate understand the duties and challenges of the office sought? Does the candidate have a firm grasp of the issues important to his or her constituency and their potential effects?

1. In a page or less, why are you running for this office? (Note: the interview committee will be given a copy of this statement before your interview; at the beginning of your interview you will have the opportunity to expand on this statement in any way you wish.)

Judges are public servants and the public is best served if those positions are filled by individuals who can balance hard work, compassion, integrity and wisdom in upholding the laws of the State of Washington. I have the qualifications, experience and desire to fulfill the responsibilities of this position. I began my judicial training in 1998. Since that time I have continued to improve my professional and legal skills in multiple areas of the court system. I have a broad background in criminal justice. I have practiced law under multiple sentencing structures in our state and monitored some of the most dangerous convicted offenders in our system under the parole board's jurisdiction. Superior Court has provided training in civil, family court/dependency and involuntary commitment. I have continued to meet these new challenges, supplementing the court's training with independent reading and research to familiarize myself with these new areas of law. I have met and enjoyed each new challenge. I am seeking this office due to my experience as a judge and because I have derived great personal satisfaction in managing a courtroom and doing it well.

2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.

My strongest personal traits are my demeanor, organization skills and common sense. I have been an attorney for almost 25 years. During this time I have been raising two boys (for a time as a single mother) and for the past 8 years two additional step-children. I have learned to prioritize my time, balance multiple tasks and responsibilities and learn from my mistakes.

During the past six years I have worked at both the parole board and as a pro tem judge. The parole board requires extensive travel to different prisons around the state as well as institutions in other states. I have juggled volunteer work, family and these two highly demanding jobs with patience, professionalism and a consistent application of common sense. When I began sitting as a pro tem judge in 1998 I wanted to gain experience as well as see how I was perceived by the court system and participants. During this process I have derived great personal satisfaction in managing a courtroom and doing it well. As a pro tem we sit at the pleasure of the presiding Judge. It is well known if a pro tem does not do an efficient job or does not maintain the quality and caliber of performance expected by the other sitting Judges, the position will not continue. I have continued to receive positive feedback from the Judges, court staff and participants. I have been called back over the years to the extent that as of today I have appeared as a pro tem over 570 times. I believe my accomplishments as a pro tem Judge well demonstrate my qualifications.

3. Please describe in sufficient detail, one to three accomplishments or contributions of which you are most proud. These examples should illustrate effective skills and capabilities you think apply to the office you are seeking. These accomplishments may have occurred at any time in your personal, professional, or public life.

A. For three years in the early 1990s another attorney and I volunteered time representing a female co-worker who was being harassed by a former spouse (an attorney representing himself) through repeated and frivilous court proceedings in Family Court. The co-worker was a single mother who had been financially depleted through repeated post divorce court proceedings. We appeared on her behalf over 100 times in Family Court, appeals in Superior Court, the Court of Appeals and in response to one appeal by the respondent to the Supreme Court. During this representation I had to familiarize myself in detail with the applicable statutes and case law. This pro bono work was done on my own time and involved a substantial commitment due both to the subject matter and trial tactics of the former spouse.

B. In the mid 1980s I was assigned the case of Gary Minnix, a mentally disabled man who was charged with approximately 9 counts of Rape 1 and multiple counts of Burglary 1. The press had labeled this man the "Columbia City Rapist", and media attention was intense. Initially the family had hired private counsel who withdrew shortly before the scheduled trial date. This was a complicated case with multiple issues involving competence to stand trial, pressure from the community to convict a purported serial rapist and the challenge of communicating with a client whose mental disability prevented any meaningful ability to assist in his own defense. Due to the late substitution of counsel, the victims were angry and hostile at the delay and the necessity of repeating interviews. It became clear during the investigation that although Mr. Minnix may have commited some of the assaults, there were significant proof problems with others. There were multiple competency hearings before the Honorable Jim Bates. He eventually reversed his previous ruling and found Mr. Minnix incompetent to stand trial. This was a significant case for me as it involved multiple complex issues involving the mentally disabled and due process rights to a fair trial. Charges were eventually dismissed against Mr. Minnix.

C. I served as chair of the Parole Board's Quality Improvement in Government Committee which was formed in response to Governor Locke's Executive order 97-03 (signed 4/30/97). I chaired the committee for several years and am still a committee member. One targeted area to improve the manner in which the Board does business was directed toward improving communication with victims and families of victims. The primary population under the Board's jurisdiction are those whose crimes occurred prior to 7/1/84. This population (of approximately 800-900 individuals) is largely comprised of murderers, sexual offenders and the severely mentally ill. The offenders in this group committed very violent crimes, often leaving multiple victims of the same offense. The victims and family members who meet with the Board are often still exceptionally traumatized. Any citizen has the right to give input to the parole board. The Board often meets with family members or friends of offenders. All individuals are treated courteously and with respect. The committee began implementing improvements to reduce the stress and anxiety of crime victims who appear before the Board. The feedback subsequent to these meetings has been gratifying. I have repeatedly heard from persons I've met with that meeting with us has given them a sense of closure. I consider my efforts in assisting this process to be significant not only to the individuals I speak with but also to my own professional development.

4. Please list or describe your current and past activities in the community in which you have acquired skills that relate to the office you seek. Include your role in the activity and the year(s) in which you were involved. Involvement consists of many areas such as family, neighborhood, community, employment, or public life.

My family is diverse both ethnically and culturally. Engish is generally not spoken in the home of my in-laws. For the past 18 months I have been a volunteer at El Centro de la Raza and participated in activities both at the center as well as at the Latina Health Fair for the past two years. The health fair provides a variety of medical services to low income women. Over the years in my capacity as a public defender and public employee I have had a great deal of contact with persons from a variety of social, economic and cultural backgrounds. Through my contacts with family and volunteer work I have become more sensitive to the issues affecting non-english speaking persons who interact with the court system, whether as a defendant, a witness or a family member. I have learned that you cannot rely on yes or no answers when speaking with an individual who does not have an interpreter. There needs to be a meaningful exchange to educate the court on the level of understanding as well as provide a sufficient record.

I have been a board member on the State Board of Washington Women Lawyers for the past 3 1/2 years. I was the newsletter/website editor for over 2 1/2 years and have been a director on the WWL Foundation for 18 months. The Foundation is a charitable organization which promotes the full integration of women in the legal profession, enhances the charitable and educational purposes of WWL, promotes equal rights and opportunities for women and prevent discrimination.

I am a mother of 2 children and 2 step-children. I have volunteered as a parent volunteer at multiple school fundraisers and as a volunteer speaker (Lawyers in the classroom) at a local high school. As a parent I have interacted with the public school system in areas dealing with learning disabilities, truancy, substance abuse and teenage depression. This added awareness has greatly enhanced my judical skills in family law, dependency and the Becca calendars.

Please describe the duties of the office you seek. Which are the most important duties and why?

Judges are public servants whose duties extend beyond the traditional work day. A Judge must have the skills and patience to manage a courtroom efficiently as well as hear cases and render decisions. There are administrative duties and the ability to work as a collective group in addressing issues facing the court system. It is most important that a Judge is willing to serve as a public servant, maintain the quality, decorum and professionalism expected by their collegues and spend the time necessary to carry out both duties in the courtroom and behind the scenes.

EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY

FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT

The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report is distributed to voters in print and/or on our website. It includes a summary of the candidate’s education. Please summarize your education in 120 characters (letters, punctuation, and space all combined). The League will delete material that exceeds the space limit by beginning with the last entry. Suggested order is (degree) (subject) (school) (year, if desired).

Note: If this question is left blank the League will not include education information in your candidate profile.

JD degree, Gonzaga School of Law, May 1979

BA, Society and Justice, University of Washington, December 1975

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY

FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT

The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report also includes a summary of each candidate’s civic involvement. Please summarize your civic involvement in the space below. We will make every attempt to include the information in the Candidate Evaluation Report as submitted. Due to space restrictions in the Report, your response is limited to 500 characters (letters, punctuation, and spaces all combined). It is important that you list your involvement beginning with the most important and ending with the least important. If you exceed the length of response permitted, or if the League should find it necessary to shorten responses for publication purposes, deletions will be made beginning with the last item listed.

Note: This information will appear verbatim on the League’s Candidate Evaluation Report. If this question is left blank, the Municipal League will not include information on your civic involvement in the Report.

Check here if you would like the Municipal League to copy the first 500 characters from Question 4 to paste into this section.

Sine Jan. 2001 I have been a Board Member or Director on Washington Women Lawyer's State Board or Foundation. The Board promotes the full integration of women in the legal profession and enhances the charitable and educational purposes of WWL.

I am a volunteer at El Centro de la Raza and for the past two years have worked at the Latina Health Fair which provides free medical exams to any low income woman.

Supplemental Judicial Candidate Questionnaire

1. Briefly describe the nature of your current practice/position including types of clients and areas, if any, of specialization. State what percentage involves civil litigation, criminal litigation, and/or nonlitigation.

I am one of three Board Members on the Washington State Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB). I was first appointed to this position in 4/94 by Governor Lowry and re-appointed in 4/99 by Governor Locke. This position is quasi-judicial. The Board's statutory duties involved parolability hearings, revocation hearings (for offenders in the community), and administrative duties. Our agency was previously scheduled to sunset in 2008. In September 2001 the Sex Offender Management Act (SOMA RCW 9.94A.712) was enacted to give the ISRB jurisdication over the majority of sex offenders sentenced in Washington. The act has resulted in an increase of approximately 450 offenders per year under the Board's jurisdiction. I have been actively engaged with other staff in my office, in implementing new rules and procedures to address this newly evolving population. This position does not involve litigation with the exception of assisting our attorney general in responding to inmates appeals or lawsuits. The Board Members do not go into court. The position was full time until 7/98 when it was statutorily reduced to 60% time.

Since 8/98 I have regularly worked as a pro tem Judge and have appeared in this capacity over 570 times. Most of this employment has been in King County Superior Court (both Seattle and at the RJC in Kent). I have also sat as a Judge pro tem in Tukwila, Des Moines and Auburn Municipal Courts. Since Jan. 2003 I have primarily been assigned to Juvenile Court covering both criminal and dependency calendars. The latter calendar includes At Risk Youth, Child in Need of Services, Truancy as well as traditional dependant children cases. I also hear matters on the civil commitment calendar at Harborview Mental Health.

2. Identify all your experience as a neutral decision maker (e.g. judge, permanent or pro tem, in any jurisdiction, administrative law judge, hearing officer, arbitrator, etc.)

As a Judge pro tem I have appeared in King County Superior Court (Seattle, RJC, Juvenile and Harborview Mental Health), and Tukwila, Des Moines and Auburn Municipal Courts. Since 1998 the number of total appointments now total over 570 separate days, with all but 40 of these dates occuring in Superior Court.

My position as a Board Member on the ISRB is quasi judicial. As part of a two member panel I conduct parolability and disciplinary hearings. As a single member I preside over on-site revocation hearings for parolees on superision who have allegedly violated their conditions of supervision. The rules of evidence apply at these latter hearings and the offender has legal counsel.

3. If you have been a judge, identify any court committees on which you have served or administrative positions you have held, including dates.

As a Judge pro tem I have not served on any Municipal or Superior Court committees or served in administrative positions.

4. List the approximate percentage of your time over the last five years you have made appearances in:

all of the time noted is as a pro tem judge

% municipal court

% state district court

95	% superior court

% federal district court

% appellate court

% administrative tribunals

5. Are you now an officer or director of any business enterprise other than your law practice? If so, what role do you expect to play if elected?

I am a director on the Washington Women Lawyer's Foundation. If elected I would resign this position.

6. Have you ever been disciplined or determined to be in breach of professional conduct by any court, administrative agency, bar association, disciplinary committee, judicial conduct commission, or other professional group? Have you ever had a formal complaint filed against you with the WSBA? If so for either or both questions, give the particulars, including the outcome.

I have never been disciplined or determined to be in breach of professional conduct by any court, administrative agency, bar association, disciplinary committee, judicial conduct commission or other professional group.

In the early 1990s a Bar complaint was filed by a client (whose name I cannot remember) whom I had represented at a revocation hearing before the ISRB. The Bar Association sent me his complaint and I filed a response and accompanying documentation outlining the work I had done as well as the findings of fact issued by the Board. The Bar Association later sent me confirmation his complaint was dismissed as groundless.

In 4/02 a former client, William Skalsky, filed a Bar complaint. In my capacity as a parole board member I revoked Mr. Skalsky in 3/02 for violating his conditions of parole. Mr. Skalsky's complaint alleged a conflict of interest as I was his attorney as a previous revocation hearing in 1989. In my response to the Bar Association I noted I represented Mr. Skalsky twice before the parole board (in 1989 and 1990). After I was appointed to the ISRB in 1994 I reviewed every file of a parolee/inmate who appeared before me to determine if I had represented them at any point. In the late 1980s and into the mid-1990s my Pubic Defender firm (ACA) held the contract for this type of representation. For two years I was the attorney assigned to this position. As a Board member if I determined I

had previously represented an individual, I would advise them of this fact on the record with their counsel and give them the opportunity to either waive any potential conflict or ask me to recuse myself. Due to my prior position as a public defender this situation arose multiple times. Mr. Skalsky appeared before me in 1995 and waived the conflict. I participated in five hearings on Mr. Skalsky's case between 1995 and 2001. I sent the Bar Association the above information with attached findings and conclusions from the hearings. I received written confirmation from the WSBA that the matter on dismissed on July 2, 2002.

7. ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:

a) List the names, daytime and home phone numbers of three recent opposing counsel, including at least two cases that went to trial.

Finished!

If at all possible, send your response to the Municipal League electronically as an attachment, or insert it into an e-mail message (rebecca@munileague.org). Mail and fax numbers are listed below. If the League has not contacted you to schedule an interview, please call the League office at your earliest convenience.

Don’t forget to send the following to the Municipal League: a resume, a photo, campaign literature, and, if you are an incumbent, constituent newsletters and other materials. Please use the check-off list on the cover sheet of this packet to indicate which items you have sent.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION AND GOOD LUCK IN YOUR CAMPAIGN!

THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE OF KING COUNTY

Candidate Evaluation Coordinator: Rebecca Cooper

810 Third Avenue, Suite 224 Phone: 206-622-8333 Email: rebecca@munileague.org

Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: 425-671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org