From the Desk of the Presiding Judge: Best Wishes to Judges Shaffer and Ramseyer
Aloha from King County Superior Court!
On April 20th, the Court hosted the King County Bar Association spring new attorney swearing-in ceremony. It was a wonderful event and well attended by the new admittees to the bar and their supporters. We also had a number of leaders from the bar, leaders from law schools, and judges in attendance. Palavi Wahi, the Managing Partner of the Seattle office and Co-Managing Partner of the United States for the K&L Gates Law Firm, as well as the Chair of the Firmwide Diversity Committee, gave a wonderful keynote address to the new attorneys. King County Superior Court congratulates all the new admittees for their hard work and perseverance!
Two of our fine judges, Judge Cathy Shaffer and Judge Judy Ramseyer, have announced their retirements effective the end of June.
Judge Shaffer has been on the Court since 2000. She is currently the second most senior judge on our bench and one of the most senior judges in the state. Judge Shaffer has worked in the King County Courthouse (KCCH) in Seattle and the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent. She has served in the Civil, Criminal and Unified Family Court (UFC) Departments. She is one of our busiest trial judges and is passionate about court security issues.
Judge Ramseyer has been on the Court since 2012. She is currently seventh most senior judge on our bench. Judge Ramseyer has worked in the KCCH, MRJC, and the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center. She has served in our Juvenile, Civil, Criminal, and UFC departments. Judge Ramseyer is a strong advocate for robust media relations and open court records.
The Court is sad to see two senior judges leaving the Court. Their contributions to the Court and the community have been positive and impactful. We wish them both well in their future endeavors. Hopefully, the future will include much deserved rest, relaxation, and travel!
In prior columns, I highlighted impending plans for the re-opening of City Hall Park (CHP). Indeed, the City of Seattle plans to open CHP in mid-June. We are monitoring the reopening plans very closely, and the Court is engaged in many planning meetings. We continue to stress that in addition to an activation plan, the park’s reopening must also include a robust safety and security plan. The City has made clear that camping will not be allowed, which calls into question how the park will be secured when the park is closed overnight. This is one of the many issues that must be addressed by the City for CHP to remain safe and welcoming for all. The Court will continue to work closely with City and County leaders on these important issues.
Governor Inslee recently proclaimed May 2023 to be Treatment Court Month. The Court is proud of its two long-term and successful Therapeutic Courts.
The King County Drug Diversion Court (KCDDC), started in 1994, provides eligible defendants charged with felony drug and property crimes the opportunity for substance use disorder and mental health treatment and access to other ancillary services such as housing, transportation and job skills training. Successful completion of the KCDDC results in dismissal of felony charges. Our Drug Diversion Court reports that 81% of drug court participants have no new felonies at 36-month follow-up, even better than the state-wide figure of 76%.
The Court’s Family Treatment Court (FTC), started in 2004, is an alternative to regular dependency court and is designed to improve the safety and well-being of children in the dependency system by providing parents access to substance used disorder treatment, judicial monitoring of their sobriety and individualized services to support the entire family. Parents voluntarily enter this program to take advantage of this collaborative, non-adversarial approach with an interdisciplinary team.
These programs are successful alternatives the Court is extremely proud of. We wish to recognize the hard work and perseverance of the program participants, as well as the care, commitment, and hard work of all the staff, providers, attorneys, and judicial officers, who make these programs successful.
The Court is in the early stages of our strategic planning for the next five years. To that end, we will be seeking the feedback, comments, and priorities of court users, counsel, stakeholders, and leaders of the bar. We plan to initiate polling of the various stakeholder groups to gather important data and feedback that will help guide and inform our strategic planning.
Criminal attorneys will recall the days before COVID when attorneys regularly would cram into the chief criminal courtroom 1201 in the King County Courthouse . . . it was like a fishbowl with way too many fish! But when COVID hit, the Court made significant efforts to depopulate our courtrooms and institute various public health measures. We quickly took steps to minimize the number of people in 1201. Eventually, the chief criminal courtroom was moved to courtroom E955. For various reasons, and given concerns of counsel and parties, this was not an ideal situation. Now that we have moved into the post-COVID stage, and after much discussion and consultation with stakeholders, the Court will be moving the chief criminal courtroom back to 1201 this month. Given system improvements and process innovations, we hope 1201 will not quite be the same crowded fishbowl.
In next month’s article, you will hear from Judge Ketu Shah. In addition to serving as our Assistant Presiding Judge, Judge Shah is also our Chief Criminal Judge. He will provide an update on our Criminal Department.
