Supreme Court candidate caught up in public records case
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.
