Spokane County Bar Association

Judicial Evaluation Panel
and Member Poll

October 12 – The Spokane County Bar Association (SCBA) is pleased to announce the results of its 2006 Bar Poll as well as the report of the SCBA Judicial Evaluation Panel. The poll was conducted for Spokane County District Court four positions. The candidates are:

Department 3: Attorney John Cooney, and Attorney Mark Laiminger;

Department 4: Judge Patti Connolly Walker, and Attorney Mary Logan;

Department 5: Attorney Jeffrey Leslie, and Judge Gregory Tripp;

Department 6: Attorney Debra Hayes, and Attorney Mike Nelson.

Participation in the SCBA’s evaluation process is voluntary for each candidate and they share in the cost of the poll The evaluation has two components. A poll that rates the candidate in four key areas of judicial competency was submitted to the SCBA membership. In addition, an eleven (11) member panel appointed by the SCBA’s President conducted an in-depth evaluation and interview of each candidate.

This year’s Judicial Evaluation Panel Chair, James McPhee, states: “This evaluation continues attempts to provide a comprehensive evaluation of each candidate. The SCBA has combined the results of its membership poll with the legal experience of its members and a retired judge. The SCBA considers this evaluation to be a process by which it can make known its views on the qualifications of the candidates.”

The Bar Poll is conducted for contested positions as a public service. The Bar Poll is prepared under the direction of Dr. David Brody of the criminal justice program of Washington State University, Spokane. The Bar Poll is a reflection of the personal views of individual members of the SCBA based on their first hand knowledge of the candidates. The poll does not represent an endorsement of any candidate.

The Bar Poll asks each Bar member to rate four categories of character traits recognized by the legal profession as important to the qualification of a judge. The categories are: legal ability, judicial temperament, integrity, and legal experience. The rating is on a scale of 1 to 4 with 4 being exceptionally well qualified and a 1 being not qualified. If the member is without sufficient information, the response is “can’t rate.”

The 2006 Bar Poll was sent to the SCBA’s 910 voting members. There were 255 responses. The results and demographics are significant and validate the results.

As a note of caution, in reviewing the results, it is important to recognize that the results must be read considering both the rating and the percentage of responding members. For example, in the Bar Poll it is theoretically possible for an unknown candidate to receive a high rating of 4.0 from a handful of responding attorneys, while a candidate who receives many responses receives a rating of 3.2. It would be a mistake to judge the former as “doing better” on the Bar Poll than the latter.

In addition, an evaluation panel was also appointed. Its members were selected from prosecutors, defenders, civil plaintiff and defense lawyers, business lawyers and retired judges. This panel considered the candidates’ responses to a detailed questionnaire, examination of writing samples, an approximate one-hour interview in conjunction with criteria recommended by the American Bar Association and recognized commentators. This criteria includes but is not limited to the areas of impartiality, judicial temperament, diligent work ethic, ability to communicate, knowledge of the law and Bar Poll results, using rating categories of exceptionally qualified, well qualified, qualified and not qualified. The panel’s evaluation is likewise published.

Questions can be directed to C. Matthew Andersen at 838-6131 or to James McPhee at 455-9077. The results of the Bar Poll and Judicial Evaluation Panel are attached.

The 2006 Spokane County District Court Bar Poll Results are reported as follows:

Note: The poll ratings are: 1=Not qualified; 2=Qualified; 3=Well Qualified; 4=Exceptionally Well Qualified.

See also: Spokane County Bar Association Home Page.

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