Jay Eyestone (Chelan County District Court Judge 2, Washington, candidate 2024)

Jay Eyestone

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Chelan County District Court Judge 2

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

George Fox University, 2014

Law

Lewis & Clark Law School, 2017

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army National Guard

Years of service

2012 - 2018

Personal

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Jay Eyestone ran in a special election to the Chelan County District Court Judge 2 in Washington. He was on the ballot in the special general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Eyestone completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jay Eyestone provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 2, 2024:

• Bachelor's: George Fox University, 2014
• J.D.: Lewis & Clark Law School, 2017
• Military service: United States Army National Guard, 2012-2018
• Gender: Male
• Profession: Attorney
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: A Heart for Service, An Eye for Justice
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook
• Campaign Instagram

Elections

General election

Special general election for Chelan County District Court Judge 2

Allen F. Blackmon and Jay Eyestone ran in the special general election for Chelan County District Court Judge 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Allen F. Blackmon (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jay Eyestone (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Eyestone in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jay Eyestone completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Eyestone's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an attorney, specializing in criminal defense, with a background in prosecution, public defense, and private practice. I am a courageous trial lawyer, a sharp and fair legal analyst, and a practical problem-solver.

I am happily married to my wife Kate, and the father of two little boys. They inspire me to want to make the world a better place.

I am a six-year veteran of the Army National Guard. I served as a 27D Paralegal Specialist. My time as a servicemember was overwhelmingly positive, and one of the great honors of my life.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will courageously uphold the law. When I asked one of my earliest legal mentors what he valued in a lawyer, he was quick to answer: be courageous. I learned as a young prosecutor that honoring the law and the Constitution will often lead to results that disappoint or even anger one party or another. The Courts cannot please everyone, so Judges must be willing to boldly announce rulings that are true and just, unshaken by the threat of emotional backlash.
• The Judiciary is an independent and nonpolitical branch of government. Everyone, including me, has an opinion about what good public policy looks like. The Court's role, however, is to uphold the law as it is currently written, unswayed by a particular judge's personal feelings about what the law ought to be. As a Judge, I will be loyal to you, my constituents, and the demands you express in through legislation. I will have to problem leaving my own ideology on the courthouse steps, just as I have always done when dutifully serving my clients as an attorney.
• All people deserve compassion and respect. I have a heart for those victimized by crime - I have experienced it myself, and I have represented the causes of many victims in court. Those who have been wronged deserve a voice in the Court, and to be vindicated. At the same time, I honor the humanity of those who are jailed and accused - even those guilty of shocking and terrible crimes. When appropriate, I will firmly punish wrongful acts, but without dehumanizing the wrongdoer. Police officers, prosecutors, attorneys, jail personnel, court staff, and witnesses - all of these are also entitled to be treated with dignity.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Preservation of Constitutional rights.

Maintaining public safety.
Access to behavioral health care.
Access to addiction treatment services.
Access to justice for low-income litigants.

Efficiency and fiscal responsibility with public resources.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity is the most important characteristic for any elected official. Elected officials are placed in elevated positions of public trust, with unique privileges. They have access to influence, public funds, and the compulsive force of government. Though there are checks against the misuse of these powers, the first and best protection for the public is the official's own integrity.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A judge's core responsibility is to protect and oversee the Court's truthfinding process, then direct decisive remedies that are persuasively rooted in the revealed facts.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to be remembered as a caring and supportive father, a loyal friend, and a kind neighbor to all.
In Law, I would like to leave a legacy of being courageous, trustworthy, and principled.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

Law is a pragmatic system for enforcing collective societal goals in a consistent and predictable manner. When the law is codified, we might refer to those societal goals as "legislative intent." Under Washington Law, the Court's responsibility is to implement legislative intent to the best of its understanding.

The best evidence of legislative intent is the enacted text of the legislation.

Implementing the plain meaning of an enacted text is also what makes the law consistent and predictable from one day to the next, and one Court to another.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

The majority of attorneys actively practicing in the Chelan County District Court. Their endorsements mean more to me than anything else in this election, because it is they who know both me and my opponent the best. They see us, and our work, day in and day out.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Chelan County District Court Judge 2

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