By The Honorable Monica J. Benton

“What is grace? Grace is the spirit of law.”
        -Victor Hugo.

A Man of Grace
On June 23, 2005, the King County Bar Association will honor Chief United States District Judge Robert S. Lasnik with its prestigious Outstanding Judge Award for 2005. Last year’s recipient of our William Dwyer Outstanding Jurist Award and Judge Lasnik’s predecessor, the former Chief District Judge John C. Coughenour quiped, “As Chief, Bob has big shoes to fill!” However, Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Mary M. Schroeder extoled, “Chief Judge Lasnik has the capacity to become a legend in the West for future generations. His skills in communicating with judges, with litigants and with the media are unsurpassed.”

Chief Judge Robert S. Lasnik’s natural leadership is exemplified in his personal and professional sojourn beginning with his early career as Public Information Officer for the Seattle Parks Department to his present service as Chief District Judge. Parents who taught him the value of career public service, a wife who encouraged him to become a lawyer, children who enrich his temperament for patience and fairness, and colleagues who inspire his intellect, comprise the many facets of his style of grace.

Whether the case is large or small, by striving to give each party the constitutional guarantee of fairness, Judge Lasnik demonstrates his true calling. Ninth Circuit Judge Betty B. Fletcher said, “Judge Lasnik is among the many great Chief Judges in this district. By being people-oriented, he demonstrates a thoughtful and considerate manner.”

Consider his courtroom where one sits at ease, whether litigant or counsel; Judge Lasnik presides with compassion and humor. His bench commentary and written opinions that occasionally refer to Bob Dylan lyrics or other current entertainers reflect “one who is comfortable in his own skin--a certain composure and humor from the bench,” according to former Judge Robert Alsdorf.

Steady Rise
Outstanding merit is earned and evident throughout Chief Judge Lasnik’s ascension in the legal profession. In the King County Office of Prosecuting Attorney, Judge Lasnik was one of the first lawyers in the Special Assault Unit, taking to task difficult prosecutions of sexual assault and applying novel and controversial evidence such as child hearsay in child abuse cases. Later promoted to Senior Deputy and then to

Chief of Staff, his work before the state legislature in the early 1980’s for the passage of the Sentencing Reform Act (SRA) altered the criminal sentencing landscape for the next two decades.

“As a prosecutor, Bob had an instinct for justice which drove his interest in criminal justice policy reform,” recalled his former boss and mentor, King County Prosecuting Attorney Norm Maleng. As a judge, “he has a special magic with words,” Maleng continued, “that eloquently communicates his passion for justice and his appreciation for the worth of each person and each controversy that comes before him in court.”

Asking Difficult Questions
When I first met Judge Lasnik, he was then responsible for hiring trial and appellate lawyers in the prosecutor’s office. He asked for my thoughts on disproportionality in sentencing of minorities. His question alerted me to a certain agnosco within the office’s top management-- directly confronting the complex questions of racial and economic disparity.

These qualities persist today. His decisions involving the Equal Protection Clause and First Amendment rights have aroused strenuous responses if one consults some internet blogs, but never apathy. See Erickson v. Bartell Drug Co., 141 F. Supp. 2d 1266 (2001)(comprehensive prescription plans that selectively exclude contraceptives discriminate on the basis of gender); Linda Averill v. City of Seattle, 325 F. Supp. 1173 (2004) (overturning Seattle’s campaign disclosure requirements which violate the right to freely associate); Video Software Dealers Ass’n. v. Maleng, 325 F. Supp. 2d 1180 (2004) (overturning a statute that prohibited distribution of violent computer and video games to minors).

Appellate review acknowledges his discernment and acumen. “Our district is very lucky to have him. He brings to the bench a very sensible approach to judicial decision-making, born of common sense and with a keen appreciation for the fine details of the law,” said Ninth Circuit Judge Richard C. Tallman. Judge Ronald M. Gould, also on the Ninth Circuit, added, “Chief Judge Lasnik’s work is attentive to detail, clearly written--with a keen sense of justice.”

Elevating Public Confidence in the Judiciary
Understanding the need for public confidence in the courts, Chief Judge Lasnik also seeks a more visible platform for the courts. As Chair of the Public Information and Community Outreach (PICO) Committee, “Judge Lasnik is an amazing breath of fresh air,” said Ninth Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown. “At a time when the judiciary is under fire, having an outreach program and working relationship between the judiciary and the press has become all the more important.”

As Subcommittee Chair of Congressional Outreach for the Judicial Confer-ence U.S. Budget Committee, Judge Lasnik’s objective of elevating public confidence in the courts has an important audience. “No other judge in this district has been selected to such significant posts within the Ninth Circuit and the Judicial Conference U.S. in such a short time span,” according to Judge Coughenour. Perhaps, this is an acknowledgment that Chief Judge Lasnik is filling the ‘big’ shoes of Chief U.S. District Judge.