Report Card for Judges: KCBA Needs Your Help

By David B. Koch

Since 1972, the King County Bar Association has conducted and published surveys of its members to evaluate county judicial officers. Inserted within this issue of the Bar Bulletin, you will find the 2003 survey measuring the performance of Superior Court Judges and Commissioners.

Your participation is critical. The survey provides a compilation of practicing attorneys’ observations of the judges and commissioners who hear and decide cases throughout the county. Survey results assist voters in making informed decisions by taking into account the collective assessment of those who have the most exposure to judicial performance -you, the practicing attorneys. The survey results also provide important information to the public, the Bar, and the Bench on performance of the local judicial branch as a whole.

Budget constraints urged a new approach to distribution of the survey for 2003. Instead of direct mailings to KCBA attorneys, the survey is being distributed as an insert in the Bar Bulletin. This new distribution method will allow the KCBA to reach all practicing attorneys in the county at a fraction of the cost.

The survey has been significantly revised for 2003. Many individuals volunteered their time and energy over the past year to produce a survey that will accurately assess Superior Court judicial performance. However, your participation is necessary to make this survey process meaningful and successful. Please take a few minutes to participate.