1. Name as it will
appear on the ballot
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First Name |
Middle Initial or
Nick Name |
Last Name |
2. Office sought (include
office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
3. Are you the
incumbent?
Yes
No
4. How long have you resided in
this district/city?
5. How long have you resided in
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26 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan
or nonpartisan?
Partisan
Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Chris Washington for Judge |
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Address: |
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City/State/Zip: |
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Campaign Phone: |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
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Campaign Website: |
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1.
Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices which you
have held. Include positions on appointive Boards or Commissions.
Public Office
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Elective or
Appointive? |
Dates Held |
Leadership Role
(if any) |
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2. If you ran for public office
but were not elected, please list those races below:
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Office Title |
Year of Run |
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In this section, we are
seeking responses that reflect the four ratings criteria: involvement,
effectiveness, character, and knowledge. These are defined as follows:
§ 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.)
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After almost 30 years
of practicing law as an attorney I have made the decision to run for
Position 42 on the King County Superior Court. Judge Scott, who currently
holds this seat, is leaving the bench and has been kind enough to urge me to
run for this position. I believe I offer a
combination of legal and practical experience that will be valuable as a
judge. During my 28 years as a trial attorney I have tried over 200
criminal and civil cases. I have represented clients in in criminal cases in both the adult and juvenile
courts. I have appeared before close to 100 different Superior Court
judges throughout the state representing both plaintiffs and
defendants. My family life with three children has also taught me to
listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision. My trial experience
includes: prosecution Prosecutor’s·of felony cases with the King County Office; representing ·the interests of plaintiffs and defendants in
civil matters; representing
municipalities and law enforcement agencies ·; currently litigation practice area (Ogden·serving as the chair of my law firm’s Murphy
Wallace);. service ·as an arbitrator in assigned mandatory arbitration
cases; · sitting as a judge pro tem in the King County District Court. I have considered
running for a judicial position for some time. While I feel I have been
effective as an advocate I believe I would be well suited to work to resolve
and decide legal disputes. I have worked well with both opposing and
co-counsel both to resolve issues and to try caes if
necessary. I have always tried to be considerate of the feelings
of all parties in my cases and treated them with respect. I have kept in touch
with lawyers I have worked with who are currently on the bench and have asked
them about the work they do and the pressures they experience. I have
also asked about their view of the court's caseload and what could be done to
increase the court's efficiency. I would like the opportunity to work
with the court to address these issues. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or
traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I try to be fair.
One of the most important traits of a judge is to keep an open mind and be
fair to all parties. My work as an attorney has included representing
clients in both criminal and civil matters. I have represented the
State in criminal prosecutions and defendants who have been charged with
crimes. I have represented people injured in accidents and the people
sued for their involvement in those accidents. As a result I have
developed an appreciation of how much the vantage point of a litigant affects
their expectations of the court. I think that this experience will be
helpful in maintaining an open mind in making rulings and decisions on the
bench. I work well with
people. I enjoy working with people to accomplish the tasks that need
to be completed. I recognize the wide variety of responsibilities of a
Superior Court judge and the importance of each judge being willing to work
where needed, whether it is juvenile court, the mental health calendar , the
civil calendar or the criminal calendar. I look forward to working with
the other judges to make the court as efficient as possible. I treat people with
respect. Throughout my career I have met both clients and opposing
parties from all walks of life. I have always recognized the complexity
of each person's life and how this relates to the decisions they have
made. While the law must be applied properly I think it is important to
explain to each person the reasons for the court's decision. Obviously
this may not satisfy everyone but the attempt should still be made. |
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.
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.
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For
the past 12 years I have worked with my law firm's human resource director to
interview summer intern and associate applicants and make hiring
recommendations to the firm. This has included explaining the firms
culture and work ethic in a fair but hopefully intriguing way. At the
same time i tried to learn the applicant's
interests in both law and life to gauge whether they would enjoy working with
the firm. I also was responsible for informing the applicants of the firms
hiring decision. I was
a board member of the View Ridge Swim Club for six years, 2 of which a
served as president. The board oversaw the clubs' finances,
operation and membership. For each issue there was ususally
a full spectrum of opinions which the board needed to consider before making
a decision. Since
1996 I have served on an advisory board for the Sexual Offender
Treatment Program at the Monroe Reformatory. I provided the legal
component to a board consisting of representatives from the Department of
Corrections, law enforcement, academia and psychological service
providers. The board was informed of issues concerning the program's
mandated treatment of sexual offenders within the prison system and gave its
advice accordingly. I became aware not only of the specifics of the
counseling but also the interplay between legislative mandates, public safety
and budget constraints. |
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A Superior Court judge
presides over hearings and trials in criminal cases for both adults and
juveniles, in civil cases and mental health hearings. It is necessary
for the judge to be informed as to the applicable law and rules of
evidence. The judge should be impartial but mindful of the capabilities
of the parties and their attorneys. Finally the judge should be
decisive and clear in the decision or ruling that is made on an issue or
case. The parties must know how the issues have been resolved in order
to decide how to proceed. Each judge also has a
duty to be involved in the general operation of the court system. This
would include a willingness to be assigned to the various calendars and to
assist other judges in when emergencies or special situations arise.
This includes a willingness to serve as a settlement judge for cases that
could result in matters being resolved without the time and expense of a
trial. |
EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY
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.
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University of
Wisconsin
J.D.
1976 Marquette
University
B.A.
1973 |
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.
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Advisory board
with the Archdiocese of Seattle to develop procedures for the church to
respond to allegations of sexual abuse by clergy Board member with
Committee for Children Volunteer with Food
Lifeline Recruiting chair of
Ogden Murphy Wallace Reader for Washington
State Braillle and Talking Book Library |
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.
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.)
3. If you have been a judge,
identify any court committees on which you have served or administrative
positions you have held, including dates.
4.
List the approximate percentage of your time over the last five years you have
made appearances in:
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%
municipal court |
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% state
district court |
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95
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%
superior court |
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% federal
district court |
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%
appellate court |
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%
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?
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.
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.
Candidate Evaluation
Coordinator: Rebecca Cooper