by Judge Lisa L. Sutton
After 24 years as an assistant attorney general and senior counsel at the Attorney General’s Office, I was honored to be appointed by Governor Chris Gregoire to the judicial position vacated by Judge Richard Hicks, who provided many wonderful years of service to the court and our community. My swearing-in ceremony took place on Monday, November 29, 2010–my first official day on the job. My only regret is that my mother-in-law could not attend in person but she smiled when I played her the video of the ceremony. Since that day, I’ve enjoyed a whirlwind of experiences I’d love to share with you all.
Recently, I discovered an old book in my chambers dated 1964 and titled “The State Trial Judge’s Book.” It’s signed by Judge Robert Doran and contains a number of useful suggestions for a new judge. Reflecting back over the past year, it is easy to apply these suggestions to my experiences as I have had the privilege to serve as Thurston County Superior Court’s 29th judge. To follow are three that particularly resonated with me.
# 1: Be prepared to learn and refresh your knowledge of a broad range of legal topics.
At the end of January 2011, I attended the Washington State Judicial College and graduated with my degree in hand. This college is mandatory training for all new judges in the state. In October 2011, I also attended and graduated from the National Judicial College. The pace of these courses was fast. We received judicial training on a wide variety of topics–criminal, civil and family law, guardianship, estate and probate, unlawful detainer, contempt, sentencing, ethics, media, technology, court administration, and how to adjust to being an elected official to name a few. Many judges from municipal, district, and superior courts all across the state attended the State Judicial College. Our classmates included Charles Wiggins, our newly elected Washington Supreme Court Justice, and Laurie Siddoway, Court of Appeals Judge for Division 3. Judges from all across the United States attended the National Judicial College. Also, in December 2011, I completed a specialized course designed to enhance judicial skills related to domestic violence cases.
#2: Take your judicial assignments seriously and continuing to develop your expertise.
Since that first day on the job, I have been assigned as one of two Criminal Presiding judges along with my colleague, Judge Gary Tabor. I have had the pleasure of having many attorneys appear before me and have thoroughly enjoyed this assignment. Meanwhile, I spent a considerable amount of time this year studying the law– becoming familiar with the Sentencing Reform Act, its numerous amendments, and the Sentencing Reform Act manual. I volunteered to serve on the Criminal Rules Committee and the statewide workgroup on Sentencing Reform. I took a five-week course on Search and Seizure taught by retired King County District Court Judge Robert McBeth, who is considered the expert on search and seizure in Washington State. Currently, I am taking a course on writing opinions in controversial cases by retired Superior Court Judge Robert Alsdorf.
#3: Stay in touch with your community and give back.
Recognizing the importance of maintaining my outside interests and giving back to my community, I continue to serve on the YMCA-Briggs Branch Board and I have joined the Olympia Youth Chorus Board and the Family Support Center Board. I also had the opportunity to speak to high school and college students about the bill of rights and the constitution.
Over the past year, I have continued to focus on being patient, respectful, and diligent. These are values I hold in high esteem. In summary, I trust that the parties and counsel who appear before me will leave my courtroom with a sense that I was respectful and fair. I enjoy this job and the many hours of hard work that come with it. If you have any suggestions for improving our court, please share them. Thank you to each of you for your contributions to improve our judicial system.