SECTION I
BASIC CANDIDATE INFORMATION
1. Name as it will appear on the ballot
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First Name |
Middle Initial or Nick Name |
Last Name |
2. Office sought (include office, jurisdiction, position/district number):
3. Are you the incumbent? Yes No
4. How long have you resided in this district/city?
5. How long have you resided in King County?
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40 years |
6. Is the office sought partisan or nonpartisan? Partisan Nonpartisan
CAMPAIGN CONTACTS
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Campaign Name: |
Committee to Re-Elect Justice Tom Chambers |
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Address: |
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City/State/Zip: |
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Campaign Phone: |
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Campaign Fax: |
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Campaign E-mail: |
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Campaign Website: |
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POLITICAL BACKGROUND
1. Beginning with the most recent position, please list public offices which you have held. Include positions on appointive Boards or Commissions.
Public Office |
Elective or Appointive? |
Dates Held |
Leadership Role (if any) |
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2. If you ran for public office but were not elected, please list those races below:
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Office Title |
Year of Run |
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SECTION III
In this section, we are seeking responses that reflect the four ratings criteria: involvement, effectiveness, character, and knowledge. These are defined as follows:
- Involvement: What has the candidate done previously in family, neighborhood, community, volunteer work, employment or public life to suggest readiness to accomplish challenging objectives? How do these activities demonstrate readiness for the challenges unique to the office sought?
- Effectiveness: Has the candidate demonstrated promise of being productive in the office sought? Has the candidate shown the ability to work with other people?
- Character: Do the candidate's personal traits show the ability to take on the responsibilities of campaigning for and holding the public office she or he is seeking? Is the candidate a leader, participant or observer? Is the candidate trustworthy, reliable and candid?
- Knowledge: Has the candidate demonstrated the willingness and ability to learn and adapt? Does the candidate understand the duties and challenges of the office sought? Does the candidate have a firm grasp of the issues important to his or her constituency and their potential effects?
1. In a page or less, why are you running for this office? (Note: the interview committee will be given a copy of this statement before your interview; at the beginning of your interview you will have the opportunity to expand on this statement in any way you wish.)
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For the past six years I have been a strong voice for individual rights on the court. There is more work to be done and I would like to continue that work. In addition, I fear that the State Supreme Court is at risk of being politicized by special interest groups. I am running for the independence of the judiciary. |
2. Describe your most important personal characteristics or traits as they relate to the office you seek.
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I am independent and thoughful. I treat everybody who appears in court with courtesy, dignity, and respect. I have no personal agendas or axes to grind. |
3. Please describe in sufficient detail, one to three accomplishments or contributions of which you are most proud. These examples should illustrate effective skills and capabilities you think apply to the office you are seeking. These accomplishments may have occurred at any time in your personal, professional, or public life.
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1. As a member of the Board of Governors of the Washington State Bar Association, I chaired the Access to Justice Taskforce which established the Access to Justice Board. I personally drafted the proposed rule which was ultimately adopted by the State Supreme Court. The Access to Justice Board has become a national organizational model for effective efforts to meet unmet civil legal needs among low and middle income people.
2. I served as president of the Washington State Bar Association which at the time had 22,000 members.
3. As a member of the State Supreme Court, I wrote the opinion in Braam v. State. In that opinion, a high court held for the first time in the United States that foster children had a constitutional right to be free from unreasonable risks of harm and a right to reasonable safety. I am attaching a one page summary of the case if you are interested in reading more about it. |
4. Please list or describe your current and past activities in the community in which you have acquired skills that relate to the office you seek. Include your role in the activity and the year(s) in which you were involved. Involvement consists of many areas such as family, neighborhood, community, employment, or public life.
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2006 Outstanding Judge of the Year from King County Washington Women Lawyers for supporting the advancement of women in the law.
1999 Good Neighbor Award for 20 years of commitment to residents of Seattle public housing.
Rise n' Shine Foundation, providing services to AIDS families as honorary director, 2000 to present.
United Way of King County Board, 1999-2001.
Providence Medical Center Foundation Board Member, 1998-1999.
President of four statewide lawyers organizations, including the Washington State Bar Association, 1986-1987.
Published over 100 articles and 1,000 page book on law-related subjects.
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- Please describe the duties of the office you seek. Which are the most important duties and why?
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The duties of the Washington State Supreme Court include reading, listening, deciding, and writing. The most important quality is to be able to think, reflect, and make sure that you have answered the question correctly. |
EDUCATION BACKGROUND SUMMARY
FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT
The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report is distributed to voters in print and/or on our website. It includes a summary of the candidate’s education. Please summarize your education in 120 characters (letters, punctuation, and space all combined). The League will delete material that exceeds the space limit by beginning with the last entry. Suggested order is (degree) (subject) (school) (year, if desired).
Note: If this question is left blank the League will not include education information in your candidate profile.
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Washington State University, B.A., 1966; University of Washington School of Law, J.D., 1969. |
CIVIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY
FOR PUBLICATION IN CANDIDATE EVALUATION REPORT
The Municipal League’s Candidate Evaluation Report also includes a summary of each candidate’s civic involvement. Please summarize your civic involvement in the space below. We will make every attempt to include the information in the Candidate Evaluation Report as submitted. Due to space restrictions in the Report, your response is limited to 500 characters (letters, punctuation, and spaces all combined). It is important that you list your involvement beginning with the most important and ending with the least important. If you exceed the length of response permitted, or if the League should find it necessary to shorten responses for publication purposes, deletions will be made beginning with the last item listed.
Note: This information will appear verbatim on the League’s Candidate Evaluation Report. If this question is left blank, the Municipal League will not include information on your civic involvement in the Report.
Check here if you would like the Municipal League to copy the first 500 characters from Question 4 to paste into this section.
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2006 Outstanding Judge Award by King Cty. Wn. Women Lawyers for supporting advancement of women in law; 1999 Good Neighbor Award/20 years of commitment; Rise n' Shine Found. Hon. Dir.; United Way Bd 1998-99; Providence Med. Ctr. Found. Bd., 1998-99; Pres. four statewide lawyer orgs., including Wn. State Bar, 1986-87; Published 100 articles & 1000 page book on law related subjects. |
Supplemental Judicial Candidate Questionnaire
1. Briefly describe the nature of your current practice/position including types of clients and areas, if any, of specialization. State what percentage involves civil litigation, criminal litigation, and/or nonlitigation.
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Before being elected to the Supreme Court, I spent 30 years in private practice. Areas of law practice included adminstrative, criminal, estate planning, family business, construction, poverty, personal injury, real estate transactions, and workers compensation. |
2. Identify all your experience as a neutral decision maker (e.g. judge, permanent or pro tem, in any jurisdiction, administrative law judge, hearing officer, arbitrator, etc.)
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Washington Supreme Court Justice 2001 through 2006; Judge Pro Tem, King County Superior Court; once - Family Law Commissioner; approximately 15 mandatory arbitrations as arbitrator; approximately 15 UIM hearings as arbitrator. |
3. If you have been a judge, identify any court committees on which you have served or administrative positions you have held, including dates.
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Yes, Justice from 2001 to present; Legislative Committee, 2001 to present; Rules Committee, 2001 to present; Traveling Court Committee, 2001 to present; Chair, Supreme Court’s Task Force on Civil Equal Justice Funding Options Committee, 2002-2003. |
4. List the approximate percentage of your time over the last five years you have made appearances in:
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n/a |
% municipal court |
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% state district court |
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n/a |
% superior court |
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% federal district court |
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n/a |
% appellate court |
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n/a |
% administrative tribunals |
5. Are you now an officer or director of any business enterprise other than your law practice? If so, what role do you expect to play if elected?
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My primary occupation has been my law practice and now the judiciary. My wife and I manage a small family L.L.C. that owns real property. |
6. Have you ever been disciplined or determined to be in breach of professional conduct by any court, administrative agency, bar association, disciplinary committee, judicial conduct commission, or other professional group? Have you ever had a formal complaint filed against you with the WSBA? If so for either or both questions, give the particulars, including the outcome.
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Yes, I received a letter of admonishment in the 1970s. I subsequently served as President of the State Bar Association. |
7. ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:
a) List the names, daytime and home phone numbers of three recent opposing counsel, including at least two cases that went to trial.
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Name of Opposing Counsel |
Daytime Phone |
Home Phone |
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John G. Bergmann |
206 689 2141 |
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David Swartling |
206 382 1000 |
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Andrew Gauen |
206 682 0610 |
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a) If you have served as a neutral decision maker, list the names, daytime and home phone numbers of the last four attorneys who have appeared before you.
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Name of Attorney |
Daytime Phone |
Home Phone |
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Charles Wiggens |
206 780 5033 |
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Howard Goodfriend |
206 624 0974 |
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Suzanne Elliott |
206 623 0291 |
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Monte Hester |
253 272 2157 |
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Finished!
If at all possible, send your response to the Municipal League electronically as an attachment, or insert it into an e-mail message (cec@munileague.org). Mail and fax numbers are listed below. If the League has not contacted you to schedule an interview, please call the League office at your earliest convenience.
Don’t forget to send the following to the Municipal League: a resume, a photo, campaign literature, and, if you are an incumbent, constituent newsletter and other materials. Please use the check-off list on the cover sheet of this packet to indicate which items you have sent.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION AND GOOD LUCK IN YOUR CAMPAIGN!
THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE OF KING COUNTY
Candidate Evaluation Coordinator: Jennifer DiGiacomo
Seattle, WA 98104-1614 Fax: 425-671-0506 Website: www.munileague.org