Michael Finkle

King County District Court

Northeast Division, Position Six

This race will appear on the November ballot.

Legal/Judicial Experience: King County District Court Judge (incumbent); 12 years experience as judge pro tem in District and Municipal Courts; 24 years experience prosecuting misdemeanors.

Other Professional Experience: Adjunct Professor, Seattle University School of Law; Past president, Washington State Association of Municipal Attorneys; Member, Committee on Diversity, Washington State Bar Association; Coach, law students in national mock trial competition.

Education: BBA, Loyola Marymount University; MBA, Seattle University Albers School of Business; JD, UCLA School of Law.

Community Service: Participant, "Beat the Bridge to Beat Juvenile Diabetes"; Member, citizens’ group that spearheaded efforts to create City of Sammamish; Speaker at public hearings as representative of neighborhood homeowners; PTA Treasurer.

Statement: Judge Michael Finkle was appointed District Court Judge by unanimous vote of the King County Council. He has received the highest rating, "Exceptionally Well Qualified," from all six bar associations that evaluate judges and judicial candidates. His endorsers include: the Martin Luther King County Labor Council, the King County Police Officers Guild, and dozens of judges and other public officials.

During the 20 years preceding his appointment, Judge Finkle served as a supervising attorney in the Criminal Division of the Seattle City Attorney’s Office. From 1998 until his appointment, he also served as a Judge Pro Tem (substitute judge) in King County District Court and numerous Municipal Courts.

Judge Finkle has a proven record of helping to improve the criminal justice system. He helped form Seattle Municipal Mental Health Court, the fourth such court in the country. He also helped create the Domestic Violence Unit within the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.

Judge Finkle is highly respected for his legal expertise. The National Judicial College has asked him to work with other experts around the country to develop a national model for handling mental health matters in criminal courts. Judge Finkle has published numerous scholarly legal articles, and he has given over 80 solo and panel presentations in the United States and Canada.

Judge Finkle has served as an Adjunct Professor at Seattle University School of Law since 1998, teaching courses in Trial Techniques and in Law, Policy & Mental Health. He was one of the initial faculty members for the State Bar’s Trial Advocacy Program, and developed the original curriculum for the program’s first 10 years. The State Bar presented him with a special recognition award for his work.

A past president of the Washington State Association of Municipal Attorneys, Judge Finkle recently received that organization’s lifetime achievement award.

Finance report:

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