Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Endorsements

P-I Endorsements: Retain justices

P-I EDITORIAL BOARD

Sunday, August 27, 2006 — Three Washington Supreme Court justices face re-election this year. Their opponents are of widely varying merit. None have made the necessary case for removing three solid incumbent jurists.

The challengers run the gamut, from the redoubtable Jeanette Burrage and those apparently intent on contributing nothing more than name confusion in the campaign, to state Sen. Stephen Johnson, an experienced litigator and lawmaker who would make an excellent judge.

The three Supreme Court races could each be settled in next month's primary, if a candidate garners more than 50 percent of the vote.

Voters ought to pay special attention to this year's Supreme Court election because the courts in general have come under increasing special-interest attack for "legislating from the bench" -- a rhetorical extension of the "activist judges" slur.

A fair, impartial and independent judicial system is at risk when candidates, and their well-heeled backers, try to exploit this stereotype to gain places on the bench -- from which they hope to be quite active themselves in legislating in the interest of narrow constituencies.

Justices Gerry Alexander, Susan Owens and Tom Chambers have written, concurred or dissented in hundreds of cases in recent years, many of them controversial. We've seen no evidence that the three justices have faltered in their obligation to evaluate cases intelligently, on what they see to be the constitutional and statutory prerogatives of each case.

Alexander has served on the bench for 33 years, including 12 years on the Supreme Court, six as chief justice. Owens was a judge for 19 years before joining the high court in 2000. Chambers has served as justice for six years, following a long legal career and work as judge pro tem in King County Superior Court. His endorsements range from the State Labor Council to the Building Industry Association of Washington.

Alexander's opponent has no judicial experience. Neither does Owens' main opponent. Chamber's opponent's tenure on the bench was largely an embarrassment. Judicial experience at the trial or appellate level is not a legal prerequisite for the state's highest court, but it's a reasonable criterion for voters, particularly when faced with the prospect of removing a seasoned incumbent jurist.

The state's judicial system and its citizens will be well served by retaining Alexander, Owens and Chambers on the Supreme Court. 

VotingforJudges.org, P.O. Box 1460, Silverdale, WA  98383
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