Washington Court of Appeals

The Washington Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for the state of Washington. The court is a non-discretionary appellate court. This means that it must accept, review, and issue a written decision for all appeals filed with it; unlike the Washington State Supreme Court, which can reject an appeal.

There are a total of 22 judges on the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals is divided into three divisions: Division 1 (10 judges) is based in Seattle; Division 2 (7 judges) is based in Tacoma; and Division 3 (5 judges) is based in Spokane. Cases are heard by a panel of three judges from the division to which it is appealed. There is no en banc review available for a Division or the entire Court of Appeals. Judges from one Division may pro tem as a visiting judge on another Division.

Election of judges

Each Division is sub-divided into three geographic districts for election purposes; the districts are not divided evenly according to population, but the districts containing higher populations usually have more judges elected from that district. Each of the judges is elected by a district's voters in non-partisan elections to six-year terms. If a seat becomes vacant between elections, an interim judge from the corresponding district is appointed by the governor and he/she must run in the next regularly scheduled election to finish the remainder of the term. Elections are staggered so that one-third of the judges, in each of Divisions 2 and 3, have an election each even-numbered year. There is an election for at least one Division 1 judge every year.

To serve as an appellate judge, judges must have practiced law in Washington for at least five years and must have been a resident of the district they represent for at least one year.

Chief Judge

The judges on each Division annually select from among themselves a Chief Judge to handle administrative details for the Division. All 22 judges annually select a Presiding Chief Judge to oversee business matters among the three divisions.

Division 1

The judges in Division 1 are:

• Chief Judge Stephen Dwyer, District 2
• Acting Chief Judge Robert Leach, District 2
• Marlin Appelwick, District 1
• Mary Kay Becker, District 3
• Ronald Cox, District 1
• Anne Ellington, District 1
• Kenneth Grosse, District 1
• Linda Lau, District 1
• Presiding Chief Judge Ann Schindler, District 1
• Michael Spearman, District 1

Division I's three districts are:

• District 1 - King County, from which seven judges must be elected.
• District 2 - Snohomish County, from which two judges must be elected.
• District 3 - Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom counties, from which one judge is elected.

Division 2

The judges in Division 2 are:

• Chief Judge Joel Penoyar, District 3
• Acting Chief Judge Lisa Worswick, District 1
• David Armstrong, District 2
• J. Robin Hunt, District 2
• Christine Quinn-Brintnall, District 1
• Marywave Van Deren, District 1
• Jill M. Johanson, District 3

Division II's three districts are:

• District 1 - Pierce County, from which three judges are elected.
• District 2 - Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason and Thurston Counties, from which two judges are elected.
• District 3 - Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum Counties, from which two judges are elected.

Division 3

The judges in Division 3 are:

• Chief Judge Teresa Kulik, District 2
• Acting Chief Judge Kevin Korsmo, District 1
• Dennis Sweeney, District 2
• Stephen Brown, District 3
• Laurel Siddoway, District 1

Division III's three districts are:

• District 1- Ferry, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Stevens Counties, from which two judges are elected.
• District 2- Adams, Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Walla Walla and Whitman Counties, from which one judge is elected.
• District 3- Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat and Yakima Counties, from which two judges are elected.

External links

• Appellate courts of Washington
• Directory, Washington Court of Appeals
• Appellate court opinions
• Older and archived appellate decisions
• 2008 general elections, Court of Appeals
• Methods of selection, Washington appellate judges
• Salaries of employees of the Washington Court of Appeals

References