Primary Election: August 6, 2013

An information resource for Washington voters

VotingforJudges is a nonpartisan, impartial source of information about judicial elections in the state of Washington. The site was established in 2006 to provide information to voters in connection with the appellate judicial contests that year, and it has expanded to cover all judicial elections throughout the state. All of Washington's 2013 elections will be reported.

Our archives retain information from the 2006-2012 elections.

2013

Most judicial elections take place in even-numbered years. There will be a few in 2013, however.

Court of Appeals: In Division I, Judge James Verellen was appointed last year, and he has to run to complete his 2-year unexpired term. He is running unopposed. In Division III, Judge George Fearing was appointed on May 20, 2013, and he has to run to complete his 3-year unexpired term. Judge Fearing is opposed by John Gary Metro for this position.

Superior Court: Most Superior Court elections will next be held in 2016, and there are no contested Superior Court elections this year. In Benton and Franklin Counties, Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. was appointed on April 19, 2013, and he has to run to complete his 3-year unexpired term. He is running unopposed. In Clark County, Judge Suzan Clark was appointed on May 6, 2013, and she has to run to complete her 3-year unexpired term. She is running unopposed. In King County, Judge Susan Amini was appointed on May 2, 2013, and she has to run to complete her 3-year unexpired term. She is running unopposed.

District Court: Most District Court elections will next be held in 2014, although there might be elections in some counties this year. Additional details will be available soon.

Municipal Court: Most elected Municipal Court judges will be up for election this year. Additional details will be available soon.

We are adding more information as it becomes available. Once again this year, VotingforJudges is your most complete source for impartial judicial election information. Tell your friends and colleagues!

Honors

The American Bar Association honored VotingforJudges with its 2007 Silver Gavel Award for Media and the Arts, in the "New Media" category, "recognizing outstanding efforts to foster public understanding of the law."

The Atlanta-based Foundation for Improvement of Justice presented one of its Paul H. Chapman Justice Awards for 2007 to VotingforJudges.

Paul Fjelstad, the Kitsap attorney who created and provides ongoing updates to VotingforJudges, was honored with the 2007 King County Bar Association President's Award for his work. In July 2012, he also received a Washington State Bar Association Local Hero Award, in large part for his work with this site.

Numerous newspaper editorials have praised and recommended this site.

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