General Election: November 6, 2012
An information resource for Washington voters
Steve Gonzalez
Washington Supreme Court
Position 8
Legal/Judicial Experience: Current Supreme Court Justice. Ten years as a King County Superior Court Judge. Practiced criminal and civil law as an Assistant US Attorney, a Domestic Violence Prosecutor in Seattle, and an Associate at Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson.
Other Professional Experience: Chair, Access to Justice Board. Chair, Court Security Committee. National instructor on international terrorism prosecution.
Education: B.A. with Honors, Pitzer College. J.D., U.C. Berkeley School of Law. Rotary Scholar in Economics, Hokkaido University (Japan). Honorary Doctorate from Gonzaga University. Speaks Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese.
Community Service: Regularly mentors minority and low-income students and speaks on the importance of public education and understanding our judicial process.
Statement: Justice Steve Gonzalez is a husband and father with a long and distinguished career serving the people of Washington. Before joining the Supreme Court, Steve spent a decade as King County Superior Court Judge, where he earned the respect of attorneys, jurors, and litigants. Steve is passionate about justice for all.
Before becoming a judge, Justice Gonzalez was a federal and municipal prosecutor, prosecuting terrorism, identity theft, and domestic violence. He also worked as a business attorney and regularly provided free legal services for people who could not pay.
Justice Gonzalez has received numerous awards and recognition as a jurist, including “Outstanding Judge of the Year” from the Washington State Bar and the “Vanguard Award” from KC Washington Women Lawyers. He is rated “exceptionally well qualified” by nine professional and civic organizations.
Justice Gonzalez is overwhelmingly endorsed by: All the State Supreme Court Justices; 250 judges across the state; Congressman Jay Inslee and Attorney General Rob McKenna; the State Labor Council and Association of Washington Business; Republican and Democratic Legislative Districts; the State Council of Firefighters and Patrol Troopers; Lenny Wilkens, Anne Levinson, Tomio Moriguchi, Sal Mungia, Governor Dan Evans, Judge Charles V. Johnson (ret.), and thousands more.
| Questionnaire responses: | For King County Democrats |
Candidate ratings:
| ORGANIZATION |
STEVE GONZALEZ |
| Cardozo Law Society |
Exceptionally Well Qualified |
|
Joint Asian Judicial Evaluation Committee |
Exceptionally Well Qualified |
|
Justice for Washington Foundation |
Well Qualified |
| King County Bar Association |
Exceptionally Well Qulified |
| Latina/o Bar Ass'n of Washington |
Exceptionally Well Qualified |
| Loren Miller Bar Association |
Exceptionally Well Qualified |
|
Pierce County Minority Bar Association |
Exceptionally Well Qualified |
|
Q-Law: The GLBT Bar Association of Washington |
Exceptionally Well Qualified |
|
Seattle Metropolitan Elections Committee |
Highly Recommended |
|
Tacoma/Pierce County Bar Association |
Exceptionally Well Qualified |
|
Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys |
Well Qualified |
|
Washington Women Lawyers |
Well Qualified |
Important note! Each of these organizations uses its own standards and rating terms when evaluating candidates; please check their pages for further information. We do not have ratings from all organizations for all candidates, and the reasons vary. Some evaluations may still be in process, or we might not have received them yet; some candidates may not have been offered an opportunity to participate, or they may have declined to participate. Again, please check the organizations' pages for further details.
Finance report:
See individual contributors:
Steve Gonzalez
VotingforJudges.org, P.O. Box 1460, Silverdale, WA
98383
Write to
[email protected].
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.