Rule of Law Held the Floor at 2025 Bench Bar Conference

By Bridget Schuster, KCBA Member Services Director

The annual KCBA Bench Bar Conference was held on Nov. 11 at the Seattle Convention Center. This year’s planning committee consisted of Judge Ketu Shah, Katie Comstock, Lindsay Caulkins, Jacob Roes, and KCBA President Sidney Tribe. The committee aimed to bring attention to recent and ongoing attacks on the rule of law by focusing several of the judges’ panels and other sessions on the topic. In addition, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown provided a timely update on the current state of affairs, Chief Justice Debra Stephens provided a view from the Washington Supreme Court, and, as happens every Bench Bar Conference, attendees enjoyed updates from state and federal judges of nearly every level. In keeping with our recent tradition (since 2023) of including a session on tribal courts each year, Brooke Pinkham (Seattle University NW Center for Indigenous Law) and Anthony Jones (Dorsey & Whitney) provided a particularly meaningful and instructive discussion on the impacts of the current administration on Indigenous law.

Given the focus on the rule of law, Judge Shah took the opportunity to introduce KCBA’s new Civics Stewardship Program, which provides opportunities for judges and attorneys to speak to community groups about the rule of law. Consider joining this new program as a volunteer by visiting kcba.org/stewards.

And if you missed the Bench Bar Conference this year, all sessions are available to stream on our website. Just visit the CLE Video Library and search for keywords “Bench Bar.”