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Mariane Spearman
Mariane Spearman was a superior court judge of the King County Superior Court, Washington.[1] Spearman retired in 2018 and was replaced by Sandra Widlan.[2]
Campaign themes
2016
Spearman participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of local judicial candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what non-judicial legal experience qualifies her to be a judge, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | My experience as a public defender gave me the opportunity to learn trial skills which are integral to my work as a trial court judge.[3][4] | ” |
When asked why she was running for this particular court seat, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I am running to retain my seat. I have over 20 years of judicial experience. I have been an active and contributing member of my bench. I work hard to ensure that all litigants are treated fairly and respectfully in my courtroom.[3][4] | ” |
When asked to identify one judge, past or present, who she admires, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I most closely identify and admire Justice Sonia Sotomayor. She is the first Latina supreme court justice who was widely criticized by conservatives for her statement that a one’s life experiences, particularly as a woman of color, may enrich your world view and shape your opinions on cases that may come before you. I whole-heartedly agree with her statement and feel that my life experiences, including incidents of discrimination, have helped me to become more aware and sensitive to incidents of disparate treatment of others.[3][4] | ” |
When asked about her primary concern regarding today's judicial system in her state, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I am concerned about the disparate treatment of persons of color in our criminal justice system. Although judges have no control over who is arrested or charged with a crime, we can work to ensure that our judiciary is diverse, our jury panels are diverse and that we are vigilant about our own implicit biases.[3][4] | ” |
Additional themes
Spearman provided the following statement for the Washington general election voters pamphlet:
| “ |
Judge Spearman was elected to the King County Superior Court in 2008 and has been an active member of the bench. In addition to trying cases in all areas of the law, Judge Spearman served as Chief Civil Judge, as a member of the Court's Executive Committee, and chaired the Alternative Dispute Resolution committee, which encourages agreed resolutions of civil disputes. Judge Spearman has worked to make the justice system more accessible, efficient and fair for everyone. Judge Spearman's supporters include all Washington Supreme Court justices as well as over 70 appellate and trial court judges, legislators (Cyrus Habib, Jamie Pedersen, Gael Tarleton, Sharon Tomiko-Santos, Mia Gregerson and Cindy Ryu), Attorney General Bob Ferguson, King County elected officials: Council members Rod Dembowski, Joe McDermott and Claudia Balducci, Executive Dow Constantine, Sheriff John Urquhart, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, the King County Young Democrats and the 36th and 37th LD Democrats. Judge Spearman's opponent is an attorney who she ordered to pay legal fees in a court case. Mariane Spearman is a fair, compassionate and hard-working judge with over 20 years of judicial experience serving the citizens of King County. She would be honored to have your vote. [5][4] |
” |
| —Mariane Spearman (2016) | ||
Elections
2016
Washington held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. Candidates for district and superior court seats had to file for election by May 20, 2016. Primary elections were held on August 2, 2016, for six seats where more than two candidates filed for election. Incumbent Mariane Spearman defeated Thomas Cline in the King Superior Court nonpartisan general election for Position 53.[6]
| King County Superior Court, Position 53 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mariane Spearman Incumbent |
75.46% | 587,763 |
| Thomas Cline | 24.54% | 191,143 |
| Total Votes | 778,906 | |
| Source: Washington Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016 General Election Results," accessed November 13, 2016 | ||
Selection method
For more information about judicial selection processes in each state, click here.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ King County Superior Court Judges
- ↑ Washington Governor, "Inslee makes two appointments to the King County Superior Court," March 6, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ballotpedia's local judicial candidate survey, 2016, "Mariane Spearman's Responses," August 25, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Voters Pamphlet," accessed October 24, 2016
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "2016 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 21, 2016
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
