This, surprisingly, is the big ticket item for this election. Washington State Supreme Court judges are elected as opposed to appointed, and we have no less than five races going on right now for nine positions. This site does a pretty good job laying out the state of the court, along with their websites, cash raised, and endorsements. And the more conservative factions in the state are throwing some cash behind the more conservative candidates who are running. Because one thing we need in this country are more conservative judges.
We have five positions up this year. One has just two candidates, so is not on your ballot, and is to fill an open slot from mandatory retirement (something else WA state does for its justices). Two are special elections for positions that have been temporarily filled. One is an open seat because of a retiring judge, and the last one is just a regular election. The candidates are:
Position 1: Colleen Melody was appointed at the start of this year to replace the retiring Mary Yu. However, she's shown her chops and her law, impressing the Times and even the persnickety folks at The Stranger with the depth of her legal knowledge. So, yeah, Colleen Melody.
Position 3: The current incumbent is not seeking re-election. Mike Diaz comes with a hole heaping pack of experience, endorsements, and knowledge. Yeah, he knows his stuff.
Position 4: The current incumbent has hit mandatorily retirement. This position has just two candidates, so I'll save any comments for the general, except to note that the Lovely Bride worked very hard not to accidentally skewer one of the candidates at the recent Mercer Island parade. But that's a story for another time.
Position 5: Theo Angelis is another appointment, replacing retiring Barbara Madsen. He's still the new kid here, but I'm going to recommend him in any event. Sharonda Amamilo is also good.
Position 7: Chief Justice Debra Stephens is up for re-election, and, well, she's done a good job over all these years. Yeah, let's keep her.
And that's it. One more post, and we'll be done.
More later,
