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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Kitsap - 15 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Bill Murphy For Justice |
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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 |
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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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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I am sincerely grateful for the diversity of experiences (personal and professional, opportunities and challenges) my life has offered to this point; these experiences have enriched my life to an extraordinary extent. I am also very cognizant of the need to support and contribute to our democracy so that it can remain strong and continue to develop, even in the face of challenge.
These two thoughts form the core of my motivation to run for this office.
My desire is to serve
all citizens of
My background provides a unique combination of seasoned judgment, as well as technical and legal knowledge, that will add to the Court's ability to properly address the issues before it and provide the citizens of Washington with decisions that are well reasoned, technically (and scientifically) sound, and reflect an understanding of the Court's impact on our society. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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The personal characteristics most relevant to this position are intellect, experience and integrity. The best of intentions will go unrealized if not supported by an able intellect. The cases that come before the Supreme Court have already been subject to review and analysis by several, if not many, capable lower court judges and attorneys. It is essential that Supreme Court justices have the intellectual capability and imagination necessary to fully undertand not only the technical aspects of a case, but also the ramifications of the Court's decisions. Education, reading and critical thinking have been important aspects of my growth since childhood. For this reason, I have always sought intellectual challenge, as evidenced by my educational and career paths. Even while focusing on a particular area (as an attorney, for instance), I have always explored, through reading, other diverse topics from the humanities to quantum physics. Experience is likewise an essential characteristic, not only experience with our legal system, but also the life experience that enables a person to understand how others may see a "different reality" based on their unique background (education, upbringing, culture, etc.). My broad and sophisticated law practice provides the necessary legal skills for this position while my varied life and career experience provides rich insights the consequences of the Court's decisions. The Supreme Court can be effective only so long as its constituents (not only citizens but also the legislative and executive branches of our government) are confident of the Court's integrity. Individual justices, while human, must be beyond reproach in their conduct and ethics and I am personally committed to this high standard. |
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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The most significant activities I provide to my community are the legal representation of individuals and families who cannot otherwise afford a highly skilled attorney, and my non-legal assistance to those otherwise in need.
As described above, I have provided services to the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center and the King County CASA program. I regularly contribute to Habitat for Humanity and the Helpline House on Bainbridge Island. I volunteer my expertise to the community where needed, including the Bainbridge Island Planning Commission and the Bainbridge Island Public Art Committee.
With regard to pro bono legal services, my philosophy has been to provide total service to those who do not qualify for "low income" representation yet cannot afford a lawyer. These individuals "in the gap" often see no alternative but to succumb to a stronger power that confronts them. I have found this to be one of the most disheartening and oppressive aspects of our legal system. My response to this situation has been to represent lower middle income individuals, families and business owners in situations where they face powerful adversaries. Often, the adversarial party is expecting capitulation and "an easy win." It is my role to challenge this assumption and provide my clients with a sophisticated legal representation that is beyond my clients' expectation and, more importantly in my mind, the expectation of the opposing party. The result is a "level playing field" that empowers my clients and provides them with a sense of confidence in our system.
As a Justice, I will bring to the Court a commitment to all citizens of this State to base decisions on the Constitution, without regard to the individual circumstances of the parties and with due consideration to the impact of the Court's decision on those not before the Court. In this way, I believe I will strengthen the Court by enhancing its reputation among our citizens and providing a "level playing field" for all.
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Generally the role of the Judiciary is to interpret legislation and in the case of the Supreme Court, in particular, to interpret the State Constitution.
I understand that each and every case before the Supreme Court is significant, not only to the parties involved, but also to each of the citizens of this State that will ultimately be affected by the decision.
To the Supreme Court, I will bring a dedication to the written word as well as the context of the materials under consideration, treating all cases concerning criminal, civil and legislative subjects with equal respect.
On a more mundane level, the administration of the Court can affect the perception of those subject to its mandates. One area, in particular, that I would like to see improved is public access to the records of the Court. Although court records are public by law, as a practical matter such records are inaccessible without a trip to Olympia, thereby negating true public access. I propose that all records of the Court be made available online, via the Internet. |
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 VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF LAW, J.D., 1989 PURDUE UNIVERSITY, B.S., Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering, 1978 |
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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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.)
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I am trained and certified as a mediator and have mediated numerous civil disputes over the past 10 years. |
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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5 |
% municipal court |
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5 |
% state district court |
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75 |
% superior court |
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% federal district court |
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5 |
% appellate court |
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5 |
% 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