Susan Owens
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Susan Owens is a justice on the Washington Supreme Court, and is considered more liberal in her rulings. She was elected to this position on November 7, 2000 and was re-elected in 2006. She is the seventh woman to serve on the state's highest court. She will be up for re-election again in 2012, when her term ends.
Legal education
Owens graduated from Duke University in 1971; she received her J.D. in 1975 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 1975 and the Washington State Bar in 1976.[1]
Legal experience
Prior to joining the Washington Supreme Court, Justice Owens served as Chief Judge of the Quileute Tribe for five years, Chief Judge of the Lower Elwha S'Klallam Tribe for over six years, and District Court Judge in Western Clallam County for 19 years.[2]
Awards and associations
Justice Owens has been President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Board member of the District & Municipal Court Judges' Association (DMCJA), was co-founder and Chairman of the Rural Courts Committee.[3]
2006 election
In her most recent campaign, the 2006 election, Owens raised $319,351.[4]
Property tax limit ruled unconstitutional
In a five to four ruling, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that voters did not understand what they were voting for when they approved Initiative 747, and that it was unconstitutional. The majority ruled "A voter reading the text of the initiative could believe that he or she was voting to reduce the property tax limit by 1 percent instead of by 5 percent, a substantially different impact on the public coffers, as well as the perceived benefit to the individual voter's purse." Justice Charles Johnson wrote for the dissent, and was joined by Chief Justice Gerry Alexander and Justices Tom Chambers and Richard Sanders. He wrote, "The majority seems to suggest that the voters are unable to think or read for themselves, when in fact our democratic process is based on the assumption that voters do in fact read and understand the impact of their votes."[5]
Intoxication and liability
In 2004, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that a tavern owner can be held liable for a vehicle accident by a tavern patron, "even though the plaintiff proved only that the customer was 'apparently,' not 'obviously,' intoxicated." Susan Owens wrote for the majority, "Given the distinction that the average person could be expected to draw between the phrases 'apparently intoxicated' and 'obviously intoxicated,' the Lucky Seven Saloon recognized that the latter standard was more favorable, permitting the commercial seller to serve patrons until they were 'obviously drunk,' not merely 'apparently drunk.'" In Sanders' dissent, he argued that this standard is beyond the previous standard: "The majority goes where no court has gone before."[6]
External links
- Washington Courts: Susan Owens
- Wikipedia: Susan Owens
- Project Vote Smart
- 31st District Democrats: Owens Biography
- 2006 Washington State Supreme Court Voters Guide
- Follow the Money: Susan Owens 2006
- Supreme Court candidate Doesn't want bar rating
- The Washington Supreme Court blog, an unofficial blog that covers the Washington State Supreme Court and its justices
References
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The Washington Project on Judgepedia
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