James Johnson (Washington)
James Johnson was a justice on the Washington Supreme Court. He was elected in 2004 for a six-year term in the state's nonpartisan elections. He was re-elected in 2010 and retired from the court on April 30, 2014, for health reasons.[1][2][3][4]
Education
Johnson graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in economics and obtained his J.D. from the University of Washington.[2]
Career
Johnson's first position in the legal profession was Washington State's Assistant Attorney General. He spent twenty years in this capacity, heading first the Fish and Wildlife Division, and later, the Special Litigation Division. In 1993, Johnson entered private practice, and worked in this capacity until elected to the Washington Supreme Court in 2004.[2]
Elections
2010
- Main article: Washington judicial elections, 2010
Johnson was re-elected after running unopposed in 2010.[5][6] Johnson defeated Stan Rumbaugh, winning almost 63% of the vote in the primary election.[7]
2004
In the 2004 election for the open seat on the Washington Supreme Court, Johnson raised a total of $538,908 through more than 1,100 individual contributions.[8]
To see a breakdown of Johnson's campaign contributions, click Follow the Money: James Johnson, 2004 here.
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Primary % | Election % |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
James Johnson  |
Position #1 | 22.3% | 52% | ||
| Mary Kay Becker | Position #1 | 22% | 48% | ||
| Gary Carpenter | Position #1 | 9.3% | |||
| William Murphy | Position #1 | 12.6% | |||
| Maureen Hart | Position #1 | 13% | |||
| Robert H. Alsdorf | Position #1 | 20.5% |
2002
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Primary % | Election % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Fairhurst |
Position #3 | 30.2% | 50.1% | ||
| James Johnson | Position #3 | 30.8% | 49.9% | ||
| Stan Morse | Position #3 | 10.1% | |||
| Michael Spearman | Position #3 | 28.8% |
Noteworthy cases
Governor's right to secrecy upheld by court
The Washington Supreme Court ruled on October 17 that the state's governor may claim "executive privilege" in keeping certain documents private. The 8-1 decision explained that Gov. Jay Inslee may not keep everything from the public, but is not required to disclose communications related to policy decisions.
Justice Mary Fairhurst, in the majority opinion, wrote:
| “ | The executive communications privilege plays a critical part in preserving the integrity of the executive branch…Courts have widely recognized that the chief executive must have access to candid advice in order to explore policy alternatives and reach appropriate decisions.[10][11] | ” |
This type of public records exemption for the governor is not explicitly noted in state law. The lone dissenter, Justice James Johnson, argued:
| “ | The majority ignores our state’s constitution, statutes, and populist tradition and does great damage to over 120 years of open government in Washington…It is not alarmist to say that this decision could place a shroud of secrecy over much government conduct.[12][11] | ” |
The case was sparked by former Governor Christine Gregoire, who reportedly used the idea of executive privilege to keep multiple documents private, including some relating to medical marijuana and criminal pardons. Gregoire was sued by the Freedom Foundation, a libertarian think-tank located in Olympia, for withholding various documents. The Foundation's argument that the executive privilege is not allowed by state law was struck down by a lower court before reaching its final demise this month at the state's highest court.
Same-sex marriage ban
In a 5-4 decision in July 2006, the court overruled two lower courts that had found the state's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which limits marriage to opposite-sex couples, violated the state constitution and its Equal Rights Amendment. Three of the justices in the majority, however, invited the state Legislature to take another look at the gay marriage ban's effect on same-sex couples. Given the clear hardship faced by same-sex couples evidenced in this lawsuit, the Legislature may want to re-examine the impact of the marriage laws on all citizens of this state," wrote Justice Barbara Madsen, with Justice Charles W. Johnson and Chief Justice Gerry Alexander concurring.
Johnson, along with Richard Sanders, was one of two other justices in the majority. Johnson and Sanders agreed with the outcome but more actively opposed gay marriage. Johnson wrote that the Legislature had "a compelling governmental interest in preserving the institution of marriage, as well as the healthy families and children it promotes. This conclusion may not be changed by mere passage of time or currents of public favor and surely not changed by courts." [13]
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Johnson received a campaign finance score of 1.13, indicating a conservative ideological leaning. This was more conservative than the average score of -0.91 that justices received in Washington.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[14]
See also
External links
- Official Campaign Website
- Re-elect Justice Jim Johnson Facebook page
- Washington State Voters' Guide, Jim Johnson
- Washington Courts, Justice James Johnson
- Project Vote Smart, Justice James M. Johnson
- The Washington Supreme Court blog, an unofficial blog that covers the Washington State Supreme Court and its justices
Footnotes
- ↑ seattlepi.com, "Conservative Jim Johnson will retire from Washington Supreme Court," March 17, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Washington Courts, James Johnson
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Johnson re-elected to Supreme Court," August 17, 2010
- ↑ KHQ, "James Johnson to retire from Wash. Supreme Court," March 17, 2014
- ↑ Judge Johnson Election Campaign Announcement," March 10, 2010
- ↑ Supreme Court of Washington Blog, "Justice Jim Johnson announces re-election bid," March 3, 2010
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, August 17, 2010 Primary, Judicial Results
- ↑ Public Disclosure Commission, James Johnson, 2004
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, Past Election Results: Position #1, State Supreme Court
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "State high court rules governor has executive privilege, with caveats," October 17, 2013
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Columbian, "State high court approves governor secrecy," October 17, 2013
- ↑ Fox News, "Washington Supreme Court Upholds Gay Marriage Ban," July 26, 2006
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington
State courts:
Washington Supreme Court • Washington Court of Appeals • Washington Superior Court • Washington District Courts • Washington Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Washington • Washington judicial elections • Judicial selection in Washington
