Two races decided, one to go. As of 10:19 p.m.:
Chief Justice Barbara Madsen (unopposed) and Justice Jim Johnson (running against Stan Rumbaugh) have won their races and will advance to the general election without an opponent.
Meanwhile, Justice Richard Sanders and Charlie Wiggins are both under the 50 percent vote threshold required to advance unopposed, with Sanders enjoying an 8-point lead. Judge Bryan Chushcoff trails with only 12 percent of the vote.
.jpg)
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff earned a BA in business administration from the University of Washington, followed by a JD from the University of Puget Sound School of Law. He entered private practice in 1977 and continued to practice until 1996, when he was elected to the Pierce County Superior Court. He was elected Presiding Judge of that court in 2009.
Ratings
Notable Endorsements
Newspapers
Websites
After Maurice Clemmons shot and killed four Lakewood police officers, the Seattle Times filed several public records requests seeking documents related to the tragedy.
The State filed charges against seven alleged accomplices of Maurice Clemmons. Several of these defendants sought to prohibit the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office from producing any documents in response to the Times’ request. Two judges, Judge Susan Serko and Judge Bryan Chushcoff (who is running as a candidate for the Supreme Court against Justice Richard Sanders), entered orders sealing documents related to the criminal trials, including exhibits that were entered in open court. Judge Serko said the rights of the accused would be compromised by the release of the records.
The Seattle Times filed a petition with the Supreme Court requesting a writ of mandamus to compel the judges to provide public access to police incident reports and other public records. The Supreme Court has agreed to review the case.
The case is Seattle Times v. The Honorable Susan K. Serko and The Honorable Bryan E. Chushcoff, No. 84691-0. A copy of the petition is here, and a copy of the judges’ response is here.
With candidate filing week over, we now have a complete picture of this year’s races for seats on the Supreme Court of Washington.
Running for Position 1 are Justice Jim Johnson and challenger Stan Rumbaugh. Chief Justice Barbara Madsen is running unchallenged for Position 5. We previously reported that Justice Richard Sanders and Charlie Wiggins are running for Position 6, and another candidate has jumped into this race: Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff.
Because judicial offices are nonpartisan, the August 19 primary is a key date for judicial elections. If any candidate receives 50 percent of the primary vote, that candidate advances unchallenged to the general election.
Here at the Supreme Court of Washington Blog we will be reporting on each of these contested judicial races. Voting for judges is often difficult as candidates refrain from taking positions on specific public policy issues. The Supreme Court of Washington Blog will not endorse any candidate; our goal is to provide information about each candidate’s background, qualifications, and previous rulings (if available).
Just click on the “Judicial Elections” category to the left to read each article we’ve written about the various judicial races. You can also sort articles by individual candidate using the tags below.
Enter keywords:
Add this blog to your feeds or put your e-mail in the box below and hit GO to subscribe by e-mail.
Podcasts
