Seattle Times switches endorsement from Sanders to Wiggins
Leading up to the August primary election, the Seattle Times editorial board endorsed Justice Richard Sanders’ re-election to the state Supreme Court, over his challenger Charlie Wiggins.
In its endorsement, the Times said: “Justice Richard Sanders should be re-elected to the Washington Supreme Court. The court's most fundamental job is to push back against the other two branches of government — the executive and the legislative — when they step on the rights of the people. No member of the court does that more consistently, and with greater gusto, than Sanders.”
But in the wake of controversial comments Justice Sanders made about racial disparities in the criminal justice system, the Times has taken a self-admitted “unusual step” of withdrawing its endorsement of Sanders. “The Seattle Times now supports lawyer Charlie Wiggins, who was a close call in our primary endorsement. We said then that Wiggins was fully qualified to serve on the bench and be a strong voice pushing back against government.”
