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Longview Daily NewsEndorsements |
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Sanders, Johnson right for high courtFriday, August 6, 2010 — Washington voters will fill one — possibly two — state Supreme Court positions in this month's primary election. The Aug. 17 primary will decide the race for Position 1 between Justice Jim Johnson and challenger Stan Rumbaugh. Justice Richard Sanders faces two challengers, Bryan Chushcoff and Charlie Wiggins, in his re-election bid for Position 6. Unless one of the candidates in that race gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election. The Daily News is recommending that voters return both Johnson and Sanders to the state Supreme Court. It was not the easy call we had anticipated before learning something about, and talking with, the two justices' challengers. All three have impressive resumes, and they've all mounted what appear to be well-organized, hard-hitting campaigns. The voting could be very close in both races. Johnson faces an experienced and well-respected attorney in Rumbaugh, who has been in private practice in Tacoma for almost 31 years. Rumbaugh criticizes Johnson as being too close to — and, presumably, inclined to favor — corporate interests. That criticism doesn't resonate with us. We did not endorse Justice Johnson when he ran for the then-open Supreme Court seat six years ago against former state Court of Appeals Judge Mary Kay Becker. We were impressed by Becker's decade of experience on the court immediately below the state Supreme Court. But Johnson's first term on the high court has impressed us as one easily deserving of a second six-year term. If Johnson was carrying any water for corporate interests, we didn't see it. What we witnessed was a knowledgeable justice who strictly adhered to the state Constitution and a champion of individual rights and government transparency. Johnson is a dependably conservative jurist. His voice brings some balance to a court that is mostly moderate to progressive. The same might be said of Justice Sanders, a libertarian. His critics might label him a contrarian. Sanders seems most comfortable in the minority. He sometimes has been the lone voice of dissent. But it's a principled, well-reasoned dissent. Sanders has been a champion of property rights and a passionate defender of individual rights throughout his 15 years on the state Supreme Court. His two worthy opponents - Wiggins, a Bainbridge Island attorney and former Court of Appeals judge, and Chushcoff, a long-time Pierce County Superior Court judge - argue that Sanders dissents too often and sometimes carries his defense of individual rights in criminal cases too far. We believe court opinions have benefited from Sanders' independent thinking and strong support for the rights of the accused, even when he's been in the minority. Washingtonians have been well-served by the presence of both Sanders and Johnson on state Supreme Court. We urge voters to give the two justices another six years. Experience makes Johanson the best pick
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