For the November 2017 contested judicial election in the Washington Court of Appeals, KCBA rates Judge Michael Spearman as "Exceptionally Well Qualified" and Attorney Nathan Choi as "Refused to Cooperate." A press release about KCBA's ratings in this race is available here. In addition, the bar has admonished Mr. Choi for violating its Fair Campaign Practices Guidelines; more information is online.
Information about the KCBA Judicial Candidate Evaluation Ratings Process
The King County Bar Association Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee rates candidates for appointment or election to King County Municipal, District, and Superior Courts; and to state appellate courts for contested elections. The ratings are published for contested elections; they are not published in the case of candidates being rated for appointment. The evaluation process utilizes a representative body of the King County Bar Association as well as public lay members in its 100-member judicial candidate evaluation committee. The committee undertakes a fair and comprehensive rating process designed to create a high quality bench and assist the public by providing them with important information on judicial candidates.
In the Bar Bulletin, KCBA has published several articles about the bar’s screening committee and the general rating process used to evaluate candidates seeking appointment and election to judicial office.
Judicial Ratings: A Critical KCBA Public Service, by Andrew Prazuch, August 2008.
Judicial Appointments Put Focus on Screening process, by Raegen Rasnic and David Koch, April 2008.
Screening Committee Takes Candidates’ Stock, by David Strout and Terence Scanlan, August 2006.
Click here for a general explanation of the rating process.
Information for Individuals who wish to be Screened by the Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee
If you wish to be screened by the committee for judicial appointment or election, you must provide the following documents:
- You must E-Mail Anne Daly or call her at 206-267-7018 to initiate the screening process. Please see the description of the ratings process for specific information about how to proceed.
Note: KCBA issues ratings for contested judicial elections at the municipal, King County District, King County Superior, Washington Court of Appeals Division I, and Washington Supreme Court levels. For judicial appointments (not elections), we issue ratings on request for municipal, King County District, and King County Superior Court. We do not issue ratings for appointment to the Court of Appeals or the Washington State Supreme Court.
Current and Past Judicial Ratings of Candidates in Contested Elections
Links to More Information and Other Ratings