Editorial for Oct. 29


June 11, 2008 · Updated 6:29 PM 

  • 0
  • Print Story
  • Letter/Editor

Senate Joint Resolution 8207 is a minor change to the state Constitution, amending the Commission on Judicial Conduct to allow municipal court judges to serve in one of the commission’s 11 seats.

Currently the Constitution only allows district court judges eligibility. The proposed constitutional amendment replaces the phrase “district court judges” with “limited jurisdiction court judges” which will allow a judge from any court of limited jurisdiction to be chosen by all of their peers.

This is a fair deal, allowing all judges throughout the state to take part in a commission which is tasked with judicial misconduct and determining if justices and judges are able to carry out their duties. Excluding one group of judges skews the balance and SJR 8207 fixes this gaffe.

This amendment was approved by the Senate 46-0 and by the House 90-2 and has been supported by the Judicial Conduct Commission, the Association of Washington Cities, District and Municipal Court Judges Association and the Board for Judicial Administration.

We believe you should support SJR 8207 as well. Vote yes.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.

So keep your comments:

  • Civil
  • Smart
  • On-topic
  • Free of profanity

We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please refer to our Terms of Use for full detail on participating on our site.

blog comments powered by Disqus