Washington voters will fill five of nine Supreme Court seats on Tuesday, Nov. 3. It is the first time in modern state history that a majority of the court has been on the ballot at once, and every Thurston County voter will weigh in.
The new court will likely rule on the constitutionality of the state's income tax on high earners, KNKX reported. League of Women Voters of Washington President Karen Crowley said Sept. 27 that cases involving parents' rights and girls' participation in school sports are also expected to reach the justices. The court sits on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.
The five races
The matchups, as reported by KNKX:
- District 1: Incumbent Colleen Melody vs. challenger Scott Edwards
- District 3: Jaime Hawk vs. David Stevens
- District 4: Ian Birk vs. Sean O'Donnell
- District 5: Incumbent Theo Angelis vs. challenger Dave Larson
- District 7: Incumbent Chief Justice Debra Stephens vs. challenger Todd Bloom
Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Melody and Angelis to the court this year. Both face their first electoral tests, according to The Washington Standard.
Four challengers carry endorsements from the state Republican Party. The candidates they oppose are favored by Democratic leaders, making the races statewide proxy battles between the two parties, The Washington Standard reported.
Big money, high stakes
Millions of dollars are pouring into the contests. The District 4 race between Birk and O'Donnell is shaping up as the most expensive: Birk had raised $395,000 and O'Donnell $334,000 as of early September.
Outside groups are spending heavily, too. Concerned Taxpayers of Washington State, which has raised nearly $500,000, spent about $50,000 each to promote three conservative candidates before the primary. Beware the Attack on Our Courts, with more than $400,000 raised, spent $16,000 opposing each of those same candidates.
How to evaluate judicial candidates
Judicial ethics restrict what candidates can say about future cases, making these races harder to assess than legislative contests.
On a TVW "Inside Olympia" episode taped Sept. 28 in Olympia, Tim Kovis of Full Court Press and Andrew Villeneuve of the Northwest Progressive Institute agreed that voters should weigh qualifications, temperament and legal experience rather than fixate on a single ruling.
"You do a disservice if you're focused on one issue," Kovis said on the program.
A free voter resource
The League of Women Voters of Washington has posted free six-minute video interviews with all 10 general-election candidates at lwvwa.org/Supreme-Court-Candidates. The series, called "Washington Supreme Court Candidate Interviews: Four Questions," asks each candidate about the value of prior judicial experience, how they would approach unfamiliar areas of law, when the judiciary should overturn a statute, and which judge they most admire.
All 10 candidates agreed to participate. The responses are unedited.
Crowley said the LWV created the resource because voters need to be informed when a majority of the court is at stake. Voters can also compare candidates side by side at Vote411.org.
What's next
Most Washington ballots go out in mid-October. Ballots must be deposited in a drop box by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, or postmarked by that date. Voters mailing after Monday, Oct. 26 should take their ballot to a postal clerk and request a hand-applied postmark.
