They’re the races at the bottom of the ballot that most of us scratch are heads about and wonder “why the hell do we vote for judges anyway?” I consider myself to be a pretty well informed voter, but on these I usually have to rely solely on newspaper endorsements.
Here’s the three races for King County Superior Court:
Position 1: Tim Bradshaw vs. Sue Parisien
Position 2: Julia Garrat vs. Holly Hill
Position 3: Jean Rietschel vs. Barbara Mack
So let’s try and crowdsource these races from the neighborhood level. If you have personal knowledge of one of the candidates, tell us why we should or should not put them behind the bench. Or, if you have specific questions you’d like to get answered from the candidates, leave it as a comment and we’ll get an official answer from each campaign.
I don’t have any information to share, but thank you for asking the question. I went to the Attorney General debate last night and found it enormously informative. I’m still not entirely sure what the AG does, but I know who I’m voting for. I wish judges had similar community platforms, where we could have an opportunity to compare and contrast philosophies.
Thanks for putting up the links. The experience of a judge is crucial, as is their perspective on the role of judge. Look especially at the endorsements and ratings.
The candidates for judge come through the Democrat (and I expect Republican) district meetings throughout the spring and summer. Think about that for the next round if you want to meet the people running for office. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about how the courts work, how important they are, and why I should eagerly respond to jury duty! But, I did get a good sense of the character of those running, which I backed up by looking at endorsements.
I like Holly Hill. She has the respect of the legal and academic community.
They have a short campaign window, and they really (I mean really!) are not seasoned politicians, so we are not likely to see a debate.
The King County Bar Association does a pretty thorough job of evaluating and rating judicial candidates. The questionnaire that each candidate completes, which, I think, tells you more about the candidate than any other written source, is included on the KCBA Web site. http://www.kcba.org/judicial/ratings/2008_ratings.aspx
Reading that information reveals a lot. I’d be concerned about a judicial selection system that involved a lot of “debates” such as those we are seeing between candidates for other elected office.
I agree with ktkelly; visiting each candidate’s websites makes it an easy decision. I like Tim Bradshaw and Holly Hill. Tim has the necessary experience and comes highly respected in King County. Holly is the only candidate with business experience and has taught hundreds while being on the board of a non-profit.
Another great resource for more information is: http://votingforjudges.org/
Jean Rietschel is excellent, and a really great person. Check out her endorsements, esp. from other judges. Very impressive, which says a lot. She is highly experienced and very intellignet. I agree about voting for judges. I am in the legal profession and know a few but most often have to rely on word of mouth and at who is endorsing the candidate. The endorsements are important. I figure if that many sitting judges not only wouldn’t mind her joining them but actually endorse her, that should tell us something.
I wholeheartedly endorse Judge Jean Rietschel. She is very experienced, having been a municipal court judge for 12 years. She is well respected in the legal community and is known for being fair and highly ethical. She works against bias in the criminal justice system. She was the domestic violence judge for several years and did an excellent job there. She is more highly rated than her opponent. I believe she will make an excellent superior court judge.
I agree with the other posters regarding Holly Hill. She was my trial advocacy instructor in law school and she impressed me not only as a great teacher but as a very fair and ethical person. And, as Amber notes, Holly also has business experience, which is something few judicial candidates have.
Judge Rietshcel is rated as exceptionally well qualified. She has been endorsed by every major group who give endorsements (newspapers,municipal leagues,lawyers, etc.). I support her without reservation, and urge you to do the same.