Hayden To Be Seated As Judge Next Week

OLYMPIA

Gov. Booth Gardner yesterday gave Michael C. Hayden a three-month head start on his chores as a new King County Superior Court judge.

Hayden won the post in the primary by rolling up more than 50 percent of the vote, but without Gardner's appointment to a vacancy, he wouldn't have taken office until Jan. 11.

The court had asked for the early appointment because of its heavy caseload. Hayden will take office next Monday, succeeding Judge Norman Quinn, who retired last week. He will earn $96,600 a year.

Hayden, 43, has been a civil trial attorney with the Seattle firm Merrick, Hofstedt & Mindsey for 15 years. The Woodinville resident is a graduate of Dartmouth and the University of Puget Sound Law School.