Help select the 'People's Court'

Should Washington have a death penalty? Should Washington allow persons of the same sex to marry?

State and local judges will decide these issues and thousands of others in the upcoming year.

In Washington, we have the right to elect our judiciary. It is the real "People's Court."

Yet, every year, citizens abandon their right to vote for judges by ignoring these crucial races.

This year we face even greater risk. Under the new primary-election system, voters will be asked to choose a party before voting for Democratic, Republican or Libertarian candidates. Many independent-minded voters are offended by this requirement and may stay home or treat their mail-in ballot like junk mail.

Under Washington law, if a judicial candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, he or she is automatically elected. In many cases, there will be no general election race. Not voting in the primary will mean not voting at all.

The people who will decide whether Washington has a death penalty or same-sex marriage do not run under the banner of any political party. Voters will not be required to make a party choice to vote for judges. A voter can remain independent and still have a say in judicial elections.

Many people complain they know nothing about the judicial candidates. A quick search on the Internet or a brief visit to the local library provides a world of information about potential candidates.

If one believes that judges should be experienced prosecutors, there are several qualified candidates with this background. There are also several well-qualified candidates who have dedicated their careers to defending those accused of crimes.

In the race for Supreme Court is a Superior Court judge whose decision on the First Amendment protection of political speech was used as part of a Harvard Law School exam. Also running for the Supreme Court is a lawyer who drafted successful ballot initiatives limiting governmental taxing authority.

In these troubled times, participating in our democracy is more important than ever.

We are lawyers who represent the breadth of the political and legal spectrum. We join together in asking all voters to participate in our primary and help select our representative judiciary.

Tom Carr is Seattle city attorney; Norm Maleng is King County prosecutor; Dave Chapman is director of Associated Counsel for the Accused; Robert Boruchowitz is director of the Seattle-King County Public Defender Association; and Eileen Farley is director of the Northwest Defenders Association