SECTION I

BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION

1. Name as it will appear on the ballot

First Name	Middle Initial or Nick Name	Last Name
Maureen	A.	Hart

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

Washington Supreme Court, Position 1

3. Are you the incumbent? Yes No

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

I reside in Olympia, Washington and have for approximately ten years. I have lived in Washington for approximately 35 years.

5. How long have you resided in King County?

I reside in Thurston County and have for approximately ten years.

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

7. If partisan, please indicate party: NA

CAMPAIGN CONTACTS

Campaign Name:

People for Maureen Hart

Address:

PO Box 573

City/State/Zip:

Olympia, WA 98507

Campaign Phone:

253-370-8490

Campaign Fax:

Campaign E-mail:

hartmarnie@aol.com

Campaign Website:

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)

Senior Assistant Attorney General

Appointive

1978- present

During my service with the Attorney General's Office, I have been chief of two of its divisions, and served as chief counsel to the state Auditor for many years. I served as Solicitor General in 1997-1998.

For the last 15 years, I have been responsible for working with assistant attorneys general to help them prepare and present appeals in selected cases in the Washington Court of Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and in hundreds of cases argued by the Attorney General's Office before the Washington Supreme Court.

During most of that period, I also was chief counsel to the Office of Financial Management, the budget and policy arm of the Governor's office.

I lead a group of assistant attorneys general appointed by the Attorney General to provide appellate assistance within their respective divisions of the Attorney General's Office.

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

Office Title

Year of Run

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.)

The work of the Washington Supreme Court is extremely important. It directly affects the legal rights and well-being of all of Washington citizens, and the quality of our legal system.

I possess, and my career reflects, the qualities one most needs to be an excellent justice of the Washington Supreme Court -- broad and relevant professional experience, proven dedication to integrity in our public institutions, demonstrated independence and a commitment to impartiality and fairness.

I have been a lawyer for 26 years, serving three Attorneys General. I have represented the people of Washington in hundreds of cases ranging from child protection and public safety, to complex issues of tax and constitutional law. For the last 15 years, I have worked with assistant attorneys general throughout the state in developing arguments and presenting hundreds of cases that the Attorney General's Office has argued to the Washington Supreme Court. I have handled numerous complex and important cases personally, including cases before the United States Supreme Court. In short, I have proven experience in successfully addressing the complex, broadly important legal issues that come before our state’s highest court, and have done so in a collaborative context.

I also have a proven commitment to integrity in public service and in the legal profession. I served for many years as chief counsel to the state Auditor, working to prevent waste and abuse in government. As counsel to the Commission on Ethics in Government, I was a principal author of a comprehensive law governing the conduct of state officers and employees. I chair the Washington State Bar Association Rules of Professional Conduct Committee, where I have served for several years helping lawyers understand and meet their professional obligations.

Finally, I have an unwavering belief in fairness, impartiality and respect for every person appearing before the courts.

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

I am fair, a good listener and respectful of others. I am hard-working, work well with other people and am energetic. I possess common sense and a strong intellect. I am trustworthy.

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.

(1) Seling v. Young, 531 U.S. 250 (2001). I am proud to have successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court to uphold Washington's landmark law regarding the commitment of sexually violent predators. In this case, the United States Supreme Court rejected a challenge that Washington's law violates the United States Constitution. Washington's act safeguards vulnerable Washington citizens and endeavors to provide treatment to persons who pose a grave risk to them. It was a privilege to present argument on behalf of the people of Washington in this case.

(2) Brown v. Legal Foundation of Washington, 538 U.S. 216 (2003). In this case, the United States Supreme Court upheld a program of the Washington Supreme Court that helps fund civil legal services for poor people. I played a major role in successfully defending this program, as counsel for the Washington Supreme Court justices. The experience is very meaningful to me because the program serves a worthy cause, and provides a significant benefit to the people of our state. In addition, because of the national scope of similar programs, lawyers from throughout the country donated their time to assist in defense of Washington's program. I felt privileged to be part of the generosity of the legal profession in fostering equal access to justice.

(3) I am proud to have served as counsel to the Commission on Ethics In Government and Fair Campaign Practices, a legislatively created commission of private citizens and public officials, including the Governor and the Attorney General. As counsel to the Commission, I was a principal author of a comprehensive law governing ethics in state government. The law established important ethical restrictions on the conduct of all state officers and employees, and instituted meaningful enforcement mechanisms. I am honored to have played an important role in promoting integrity in public service in this way.

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.

I have devoted my 26 year legal career to public service. I have represented the people of Washington in major cases before the Washington Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court on important issues, including issues affecting women, children, consumers and public safety. I have worked to improve the legal system, and to promote ethical conduct in state government and in the practice of law. These activities are consistent with my charitable and civic contributions.

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

It is the duty of the Washington Supreme Court to resolve important legal issues that face the people of Washington. It also is its duty to oversee administration of the courts throughout the state, to establish appropriate court rules and procedures, to regulate the practice of law and to discipline attorneys.

Although all of the Court's responsibilities are important, I believe the Court's duty to select which cases to hear, and to fairly and thoughtfully decide them, is its most critical responsibility. This duty directly and profoundly affects the rights and obligations of Washington citizens, and is one of the key checks and balances in our system of government. In addition, as a practical matter, the Court's decisions have lasting effect; they establish the direction of the law for future cases and future generations.

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.

BA, Washington State University, 1973, with honors

Juris Doctor, University of Puget Sound Law School, 1977, cum laude

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.

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.

My primary responsibility is to assist attorneys in the Attorney General's Office to evaluate, develop and present written and oral argument in selected cases in the state and federal intermediate appellate courts, and in all cases presented by the Attorney General's Office before the Washington Supreme Court. I also personally handle selected cases with significant appellate potential, including cases before the United States Supreme Court. Nearly all of my current practice relates to civil litigation and appeals, but those cases often raise questions of criminal law. Although my practice is broad-based, it frequently involves state and federal constitutional questions.

I also assist in reviewing Attorney General Opinions and voter information concerning ballot measures. I serve on the Attorney General's Office Ethics Committee. I lead a group of assistant attorneys general appointed by the Attorney General to provide appellate assistance within their respective divisions, and appellate training for the Attorney General's Office.

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.)

In a neutral decision-making role, I have written more than 25 formal opinions of the Attorney General on legal questions ranging from firearm regulation to the authority of public utility districts, and have reviewed and edited many more. I also have drafted informal ethics opinions in response to questions from lawyers concerning their obligations under the Rules of Professional Conduct.

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

Not applicable

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

0	% municipal court

0	% state district court

5	% superior court

5	% federal district court

20	% appellate court

0	% 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.

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