Judicial candidates Whitney Rivera (left) and Mary Anderson (right)
The only Snohomish County Superior Court Judge seat up for election might be one of this year’s more conspicuous county-level races. The roadside billboards first went up months ago.
Sitting judge Whitney Rivera was appointed to the superior court this spring and is seeking election. Trial attorney Mary Anderson is taking her second shot at being elected to the bench after running for a seat last year.
Ballots are due Nov. 5. It’s a nonpartisan position.
The two candidates spoke to the issues at a League of Women Voters of Snohomish County forum recorded late last month. The questions asked of their judicial philosophies and more.
On judicial philosophies, Rivera described she believes in procedural fairness in that people are heard. Rivera said she recognizes judgments “can affect where someone’s child residents, can take someone’s liberty away, so I am approaching each decision that I make with the seriousness the case requires.”
Anderson described hers as being transparent, fair and “doing the right thing.”
“I always want to ensure that I am upholding the law and the Constitution,” Anderson said, noting personal qualities do not and should not influence decisions. Anderson said her approach is “looking at the case law, applying the facts and ensuring the individuals that come before you are seen and heard — it’s all about, for me, transparency.”
Responding to a question on maintaining impartiality, both candidates acknowledged people possess natural biases to keep in check.
Anderson said she reviews her decision-making against case law “to ensure that if we have similar facts that I am ruling in the same way.” Anderson said her policy is to issue written judgments for every case to be fully transparent on why she ruled how she ruled.
Rivera said it is “important to constantly be a check on yourself, to question your ovations on how you make your rulings.” Off the bench, Rivera has an instructor’s role in teaching new judges best practices.
The two gave differing solutions for a question of obstacles to justice.
Rivera identified increasing state-funded civil legal aid for low-income people and access to attorneys as issues. The state is just now starting to fund civil legal aid better, she said. For example, Rivera said she recently attended a program to waive longstanding court debts for people. Its “impact was monumental,” Rivera said. Some had judgment debts wiped which were hanging over their heads for more than 20 years.
Anderson identified the cost of hiring attorneys and juror pay as issues. Anderson said she’s observed jurors be dismissed because they’d be burdened by serving because of the $10 per day payment given for being on jury duty. She would lobby state lawmakers to increase juror pay to $100 per day for people who earn less than $40,000 a year so they are more able to participate on a jury.
The League of Women Voters forum also asked the candidates how they would handle incompetent attorneys (they’d nudge them to study the case law), how they are keeping up with current case law, and how they’d maintain respectfulness within the courtroom.
About the candidates
Anderson has spent her career as a trial attorney, and has presided over both civil and criminal cases as a judge pro-tem in all four local district courts: Everett, Arlington, Monroe, and Lynnwood, she said.
Rivera served for about 3.5 years as the judge of Edmonds Municipal Court before being appointed to the superior court and worked in public defense for a dozen years.
Rivera has been the sitting judge in the superior court for six months. She was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee this spring to fill the seat of Judge Anita Farris.
Anderson ran last year against sitting judge Patrick Moriarty in his election bid. Anderson won 45% of the vote.
In both elåections, all of the county’s superior court judges endorsed Anderson’s opponent.
The county has 17 superior court judges. Judges serve four-year terms and the elections are nonpartisan.
To watch the video of the forum, here is the link or go on YouTube to the channel “LWV Snohomish County” and then seek the video “Snohomish County Superior Court, Pos. 12” in the section called “Live.” For a link to get there, see www.lwvsnoho.org
The league is producing candidate forums of Legislative Districts 12, 38, 39 and 44, and the PUD Commissioner race, and more.
