Four judgeships in play for Superior Court
The veteran judges — Anthony Wartnik, Robert Alsdorf, Steven Scott and Terry Lukens — were consistently ranked among the area's top judges in the Judicial Evaluation Survey conducted by the King County Bar Association.
Typically, voter participation in judicial elections is lower than for many other contests.
Political experts say that's because voters don't know the candidates, and the elections are usually low-key and low-budget, at least compared with the races for governor, attorney general and state legislators.
But Superior Court judges — who preside over the most serious civil and criminal cases in the county, including homicide, assault, malpractice and fraud — can make rulings that have significant effects on people beyond those involved in a particular case.
Take, for example, King County Superior Court Judge William Downing's recent ruling to allow gay marriage or Judge Charles Mertel's decision to allow Canadian evidence that ordinarily would not have been admitted in this country, to be used in a murder trial here.
Applying state and federal law, Superior Court judges decide what evidence lawyers on both sides of a case can talk about and what information jurors can hear.
They have some control over how long a case takes to get through the court system because they have the right to grant postponements and delays.
When a person is found guilty of a crime, judges decide how and how long that person will be punished. Though the state's sentencing guidelines — which lay out the sentencing range for a given crime — restrict a judge somewhat, he or she still has discretion over whether to impose a sentence that is at the high or low end of that range. In certain cases, the difference can be a decade or more.
Some of the candidates vying for the vacant seats are prosecutors, some are public defenders, some are trial lawyers. Half are women. Most are married with children, and they tell you so on Web pages devoted to their campaigns.
Most are rated "qualified" or above by organizations such as the King County Bar Association and the Municipal League of King County.
Much of the following information is provided by the candidates for voter guides.
Position 13
Theresa Doyle and David Larson are vying for Position 13, which belonged to Lukens, who is running for a position on the state Supreme Court.
• Doyle, a graduate of Seattle University School of Law, is a Municipal Court judge in Seattle and handles the mental-health calendar. In a recent poll of King County lawyers, Doyle was named the top Municipal or District court judge. Before her appointment to the bench, she was a public defender in the appeals courts. She has numerous endorsements and is rated "well-qualified" for the position by the King County Bar Association (KCBA) and "very good" by the Municipal League.
• Larson, also a Seattle University School of Law graduate, has worked as a trial lawyer, arbitrator and mediator. He says the endorsement most important to him is that of the voter. He is rated "well-qualified" by the Bar and "adequate" by the Municipal League.
Position 23
Three candidates — Andrea Darvas, Julia Garratt and Eric Weston — are running for the seat held by Wartnik, who is retiring early next year.
• Darvas, a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, has represented working people, business owners and crime victims. She has worked as court-appointed arbitrator and hearing officer. Born to parents who escaped communist Hungary, Darvas says she is devoted to protecting liberty and due process. She has numerous endorsements and is rated "outstanding" by the Municipal League and "well-qualified" by the KCBA.
• Garratt has worked as a prosecutor, public defender and a member of the state parole board. A graduate of Gonzaga School of Law, she has served as a pro tem, or temporary, Superior Court judge. She has numerous endorsements and is rated "well-qualified" by the KCBA and "good" by the Municipal League.
• Weston, a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law, has been a county prosecutor and a public defender with Northwest Defenders Association. He has worked on appellate, civil and criminal cases and says he has extensive experience in Superior Court. He is rated "adequate" by the KCBA and "not-qualified" by the Municipal League.
Position 42
Vying for Position 42, which will be open when Scott leaves the bench, are Mark Mestel, Catherine Moore and Chris Washington.
• Mestel, a trial attorney in private practice, worked for the Environmental Protection Agency after he graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. He has been listed in several best-lawyer lists locally and nationwide. He is rated "exceptionally well-qualified" by the KCBA and "good" by the Municipal League.
• Moore is a King County Superior Court family law commissioner pro tem and has been a judge in Tribal Court. A graduate of New York's Albany Law School, she has been a public defender, a sole practitioner and a court-appointed guardian ad litem. She is rated "very good" by the Municipal League and "adequate" by the KCBA.
• Washington, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, has represented plaintiffs and defendants, practiced civil and criminal law and been in private and public practice.
He has been a King County prosecutor and a judge pro tem in King County District Court. He has represented law-enforcement agencies and individual officers in court. He has numerous endorsements and is rated "well-qualified" by the KCBA and "good" by the Municipal League.
Position 45
Running for Position 45, vacated by Alsdorf, who is vying for a spot on the state Supreme Court, are Kimberley Prochnau and Jim Rogers.
• Prochnau is a King County Superior Court commissioner who says she has extensive experience in family and juvenile law. She has served in juvenile and truancy court and has taught new judges in Judicial College. A graduate of Seattle University, she has numerous endorsements and is rated "well-qualified" by the KCBA and "very good" by the Municipal League.
• Rogers, a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, is a senior deputy prosecutor with the homicide division of the King County Prosecutor's Office. Rogers began his career clerking for a federal judge, has worked on civil cases and has served on the federal Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
He received an award from the local Bar for his pro-bono work, has numerous endorsements and is rated "exceptionally well-qualified" by the KCBA and "very good" by the Municipal League.
Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983
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