Constitutional Law PAC

Ratings

Olympia, WA, August 15 – The Constitutional Law PAC announced the results of its bi-partisan Candidate Evaluation Committee. The committee issued two ratings for each candidate: Judicial Qualifications and Judicial Philosophy. The complete ratings appear below in a chart.

The Judicial Qualifications rating relied on similar criteria to those used by the King County Bar Association and other bar associations. The possible ratings were "Very Well Qualified", "Well Qualified", "Qualified" and "Unqualified".

The committee rated four incumbent judges as "Very Well Qualified", Chief Justice Gerry Alexander, Judge Ronald E. Cox of the Court of Appeals, Judge Marlin Appelwick of the Court of Appeals, and Judge David Armstrong of the Court of Appeals. State Senator Stephen Johnson was the only non-incumbent rated Very Well Qualified.

Two candidates were rated "Unqualified", Supreme Court challenger Jeanette Burrage and incumbent Judge Joel Penoyar.

The committee stressed that it is unusual for an incumbent judge to receive an unqualified rating. A study of Penoyar’s record showed he had the highest reversal rate of any judge in South West Washington. The committee’s investigation of Penoyar revealed conduct that raises serious questions about his fairness, objectivity and his ability to dispassionately adjudicate the rights of parties before him. The committee expressed concerns about Burrage’s tenure on the King County Superior Court, including her controversial decision regarding the dress of female attorneys appearing in her court room.

The Judicial Philosophy rating reflects a candidate’s "deference to the law, constitution and established legal precedent." An "A" means the candidate shows complete deference to the law, constitution and established legal precedent. A "B" shows significant deference, a "C" partial deference, a "D" insufficient deference and an "F" little or no deference.

The committee based its Judicial Philosophy rating for incumbent on a scorecard of actual rulings. The score card is attached below.

One important feature of the committee’s process is the ability to separately weigh a candidate’s qualifications and their judicial philosophy.

The Candidate Evaluation Committee was Chaired by Former King County Prosecutor Christopher T. Bayley a moderate Republican. Members of the committee were Seattle labor attorney Jerry Rubin of the law firm Stoel Rives (Democrat), Chehalis attorney Renee’ Remund of the firm Vander Stoep, Remund and Blinks (Republican) and Senior Pierce County Deputy Prosecutor Phil Sorenson (Democrat).

The CLPAC is a bi-partisan committee formed to work for the election of judges who believe in judicial restraint. The committee is chaired by former U.S. Senator Slade Gorton. In 2005 the committee issued its first endorsement to centrist Seattle Court of Appeals Judge Susan Agid, an appointee of Governor Gardner.

See also: CLPAC's Complete Ratings

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