The Stranger

October 15, 2014

Justice Position No. 4: Charles W. Johnson

The story of how Justice Charles Johnson landed on the high court is an odd one. Back when he was 39 years old and a little-known lawyer, Johnson put himself on the ballot and—surprise!—ended up unseating the high court's chief justice. What happened? His opponent's name was Keith Callow, and Johnson's name was, well, Johnson. Seems low-information voters were just picking the name they liked better that year. Talk to Johnson, now 63, about this and he sounds humbled by the fluke. He's worked hard, he says, to become a judge worthy of the people's trust and of the huge responsibility he's held for four terms now. Overall, he's doing pretty well. Johnson is considered a relatively liberal member of the court, and he was part of the unanimous 2012 McCleary decision that told our state to start living up to its constitutional duty to properly fund basic public education. His opponent, Eddie Yoon, is an entertaining trainwreck who told the SECB to smell our urine carefully to ensure better health. Yoon looks at the current court lineup and asks: "Do you really need nine cold cucumbers?" It's an interesting question, and if elected, Yoon promises to "put a fire on their balls." (That might make a good HUMP! film, but it's a lousy campaign promise.) Yoon also says he'd rather lose so that he can continue to spend a lot of time in sunny, vibrant South Korea (where he says he teaches law) rather than being trapped in dreary Olympia. Sniff your urine carefully, then vote Johnson.

Justice Position No. 7: Debra L. Stephens

Jesus, this race. In one corner: a disbarred lawyer who used to drive a Zamboni machine at Seattle ice hockey games while pretending to bite the heads off raw fishes. Seriously. In the other corner: Justice Debra L. Stephens, who wrote the McCleary decision. Why is this really a race? Where to start... Well, one: It's a race because this Zamboni driver's disbarment was upheld by Justice Stephens and he's apparently not done fighting about it. Two, it's a race because our secretary of state's office doesn't bother to go online and make sure a candidate running for state supreme court is actually a lawyer in good standing before it puts that person on the ballot. This waste of time and ballot ink represents our system of electing judges at its absolute worst. Vote Stephens.

	General Election: November 4, 2014 An information resource for Washington voters

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	Our Endorsements for the November General Election! October 15, 2014 Justice Position No. 4: Charles W. Johnson The story of how Justice Charles Johnson landed on the high court is an odd one. Back when he was 39 years old and a little-known lawyer, Johnson put himself on the ballot and—surprise!—ended up unseating the high court's chief justice. What happened? His opponent's name was Keith Callow, and Johnson's name was, well, Johnson. Seems low-information voters were just picking the name they liked better that year. Talk to Johnson, now 63, about this and he sounds humbled by the fluke. He's worked hard, he says, to become a judge worthy of the people's trust and of the huge responsibility he's held for four terms now. Overall, he's doing pretty well. Johnson is considered a relatively liberal member of the court, and he was part of the unanimous 2012 McCleary decision that told our state to start living up to its constitutional duty to properly fund basic public education. His opponent, Eddie Yoon, is an entertaining trainwreck who told the SECB to smell our urine carefully to ensure better health. Yoon looks at the current court lineup and asks: "Do you really need nine cold cucumbers?" It's an interesting question, and if elected, Yoon promises to "put a fire on their balls." (That might make a good HUMP! film, but it's a lousy campaign promise.) Yoon also says he'd rather lose so that he can continue to spend a lot of time in sunny, vibrant South Korea (where he says he teaches law) rather than being trapped in dreary Olympia. Sniff your urine carefully, then vote Johnson. Justice Position No. 7: Debra L. Stephens Jesus, this race. In one corner: a disbarred lawyer who used to drive a Zamboni machine at Seattle ice hockey games while pretending to bite the heads off raw fishes. Seriously. In the other corner: Justice Debra L. Stephens, who wrote the McCleary decision. Why is this really a race? Where to start... Well, one: It's a race because this Zamboni driver's disbarment was upheld by Justice Stephens and he's apparently not done fighting about it. Two, it's a race because our secretary of state's office doesn't bother to go online and make sure a candidate running for state supreme court is actually a lawyer in good standing before it puts that person on the ballot. This waste of time and ballot ink represents our system of electing judges at its absolute worst. Vote Stephens.
	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.

General Election: November 4, 2014

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October 15, 2014