The Olympian

Endorsements

Meyer rises to top in judicial race

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 — In a field of 12 candidates for Thurston County District Court judge, Sam Meyer is the superior choice for voters.

Meyer, a fourth-generation Olympia resident, has a deep commitment to the community and to the legal profession. Unlike many of the other attorneys in the race, Meyer also has real world experience — in his case, as a commercial fisherman. That gives a broader perspective of life than candidates whose professional and personal lives are wrapped entirely around the practice of law.

Meyer, an Olympia High School graduate, comes from a family of attorneys. His father, Ernest "Bud" Meyer, practiced law in Olympia for 60 years. Sam Meyer's three brothers, Paul, Tom and Martin, also are attorneys in private practice.

Sam Meyer brings to the bench a broad legal background including his current position as a criminal defense lawyer. He also was a deputy prosecutor and has served in private practice. His judge pro-tem work includes time in Thurston District Court, and municipal courts in Olympia, Shelton and Yelm.

As a judge, Meyer will work to improve the court Web site and will press for alternative courts such as a license-suspension court — all with an eye toward reducing recidivism and caseloads.

Meyer served on the board of directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters for seven years, the same amount of time he devoted to the Thurston County Volunteer Legal Clinic, where he served as president in 1999 and 2000. He was named Thurston/Mason pro bono program volunteer of the year in 2002.

It's also important to point out that Meyer blew away the competition in the preference poll conducted by the Thurston County Bar Association. Meyer got 74 votes for this judicial position. The person who finished in second place, got just 17 votes. That's a huge mandate for Meyer and it shows he has broad support and the trust of his colleagues in the legal community.

Voters decide

But this race, and all others, rests where it belongs — in the hands of voters. How on earth are voters supposed to weigh through the credentials of 12 candidates for a single position at the bottom of the general election ballot?

The Olympian's editorial board had the same question. We put together a questionnaire to delve deeper, to understand the candidates' qualifications and to solicit their opinions on domestic violence, closing courtrooms and sealing court records. We asked for the names of their key supporters and how they would handle disruptive behavior in the courtroom. We asked them to describe their attributes and their judicial philosophy.

The Olympian's editorial board followed up with interviews of all 12 candidates.

We are making the candidates' answers available to readers at www.theolympian.com/election.

The questionnaires are an incredible resource for voters who want more than a few paragraphs of information written by the candidate for the county's voters' guide.

Voters who take the time to read the questionnaires will be impressed by the caliber of candidates. Many have broad legal experience and have served as judges pro-tem.

What's most impressive, however, are their multiple suggestions for streamlining the court operation and improving service to the public. Whoever is elected would be wise to compile that impressive list of changes and take it to county commissioners and fellow judges as a means of improving the District Court operation and save tax dollars in the process.

The Olympian's editorial board believes that Sam Meyer rises to the top and deserves the support of voters on Nov. 4.

VotingforJudges.org, P.O. Box 1460, Silverdale, WA  98383
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As the election approaches, Votingforjudges.org will include ratings and endorsements from numerous organizations. We provide this information so that voters will be better informed about the candidates. We do not rate or endorse any candidates; the ratings and endorsements of organizations included at this site reflect the views of those individual organizations and not necessarily the views of votingforjudges.org or its sponsors.