The King County Bar Association has rated seven candidates as “exceptionally well qualified” in races for King County Superior Court judge in the Aug. 19 primary election.
The group’s highest rating was given to Timothy Bradshaw, Regina Cahan, Nic Corning, Ann Danieli, Mary Fairhurst, Charles Johnson, Les Ponomarchuk, Jean Rietschel and Mariane Spearman.
A full list of the ratings for all the candidates for Superior Court and the state Supreme Court is available at www.kcba.org.
Founded in 1886, the King County Bar Association is the largest lawyer association in Washington, with more than 5,000 members.
All candidates who are in contested elections receive a rating from the bar. A committee reviews questionnaires and references for each candidate. Discussions focus on the potential judge’s intellectual honesty, fairness, good judgment, legal ability, capacity for hard work, ongoing professional development, and demonstrated commitment to equal justice. Possible ratings are “exceptionally well qualified,” “well qualified,” “qualified” and “not qualified.”
The ratings “help the public understand the legal qualifications of judicial candidates,” said Daniel Gandara, president of the association. “Since our members appear regularly in the courts representing clients, (voters) often look to us to help them understand the backgrounds of judicial candidates.”
