District 2 - Division 2
"Judge Robin Hunt is a champion of open government and has distinguished herself on the Court. She is an outstanding public servant with a heart for justice."
Former Governor Gary Locke
John Spellman, Former Governor of Washington
Judge Robin Hunt not only has impeccable legal credentials, she brings to her opinions the real-life experiences of raising a family and community involvement that I have found invaluable in deciding difficult cases."
Justice Susan Owens, Supreme Court of Washington
"Judge Hunt is a balanced, impartial, thoughtful and hard-working member of the judiciary. We need to retain her."
Senator Phil Rockefeller
"Because of her fair-minded and common sense approach to the law, Judge Robin Hunt has earned the respect of prosecutors and defense attorneys. It is not surprising that she is endorsed for re-election by many current and former justices of the State Supreme Court and numerous other judges."
Chief Justice Gerry Alexander, Supreme Court of Washington
"Judge Robin Hunt is a champion of open government and has distinguished herself on the Court. She is an outstanding public servant with a heart for justice."
Gary Locke, Former Governor of Washington
"Judge Hunt is a marvelous mentor for Seattle University's law students. She takes the time to work with them individually as externs for the Court of Appeals and to talk to groups of students at the law school. As she models professionalism in every respect, our students better appreciate the judicial system and strive to emulate her approach in their careers. We appreciate Judge Hunt's dedication to training these law students who will become lawyers and leaders in our State."
"My friend Judge Robin Hunt is running for reelection to District Two Division 2 of the state court of appeals. Robin has an outstanding record as judge and has received a whole slew of major endorsements from people whose public service we greatly respect. Moreover, her husband, Art Schmidt is a veteran, having retired as a Navy Chief. I strongly urge you to support her bid for relection."
David Markham
www.NapoleonicHistory.com
WHY VOTE FOR JUDGE HUNT?
By Charlie Wiggins, Attorney, Wiggins & Masters, Bainbridge Island,
Ten years ago, long before I agreed to assist Judge Robin Hunt with her reelection campaign, I wrote an article suggesting how voters should analyze candidates for judicial office. In that article, I listed nine qualities that voters should look for when they elect judges. Now, ten years later, this article applies those qualities to Judge Hunt’s reelection campaign.
The nine qualities a voter should look for are as follows:
A judge must be independent of outside influences and interests.
IMPARTIALITY
A judge must make decisions without preconception or prejudice.
COMPETENCE
A judge needs a solid background in the law, rules of procedure and evidence; a judge must also be decisive and a careful decision maker.
ABILITY TO
A judge must work hard to deal with heavy caseloads.
CONSCIENTIOUS
A judge must be self-motivated to carry out the responsibilities of a judge diligently and efficiently; there isn’t a boss monitoring the judge’s performance day-to-day.
MANAGEMENT SKILLS
A judge must manage court staff, attorneys and parties and deal with the numerous administrative duties involved in running a court.
DIGNITY
A judge must act with dignity and respect for those appearing in court in order to maintain public respect for the court.
PERSONAL VIEWPOINTS
A judge must uphold the federal and state constitutions and apply the laws of the state, but a judge’s personal viewpoint about some issues may impact how the judge exercises discretion in making some decisions.
A HEART FOR JUSTICE
A good judge is concerned with applying the law in a manner that is fair to the parties; a great judge strives passionately for justice.
The rest of this article holds Judge Hunt up to the high standards of these qualities.
Judge Hunt has a broad background in the law, having worked in a variety of positions. She has served on the Court of Appeals since January 1997, hearing all types of cases by all types of litigants and lawyers. She was a hearing examiner for the City of Winslow/Bainbridge Island for 14 years, and prior to that she was a deputy prosecutor for
Judge Hunt enjoys broad support, endorsed by 11 current and former Supreme Court justices, over 13 current and former appellate court judges, over 30 current and former superior court, district court and municipal court judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and trial lawyers. (For a complete list, click on the website’s Endorsements tab.) These endorsements come from elected officials, lawyers, and other citizens from broad walks of life.
Campaign contributions can be another indicator of independence. Is the candidate supported by a broad-based group of people from different walks of life? As of May 19, Judge Hunt’s reports to the Public Disclosure Commission reflected 116 contributions to her campaign fund, with a median contribution of $87.50. This broad base of support shows that Judge Hunt does not rely on any one interest group for support, but receives support from a broad group of citizens, lawyers and judges.
IMPARTIALITY
We want judges who are open minded and will hear and decide cases without predisposition or bias. Once again, the diversity of support for Judge Hunt strongly shows her impartiality. For example, she is strongly supported by our prosecutors, who both prosecute criminal offenses and defend the public interest in civil lawsuits. Judge Hunt has been endorsed by the prosecuting attorneys of Kitsap, Thurston, Jefferson and
Judge Hunt has wisely preserved her impartiality by declining to make any commitment to decide cases in any way other than consistently with the Constitution, the laws and the requirements of justice and fairness. Her campaign is not based on any narrow special interest, but on an unswerving commitment to follow the law.
COMPETENCE
For over three decades, Judge Hunt has refined her legal understanding through a wide variety of many types of cases. She has experience as a hearing officer, as a trial court judge, and many years as an appellate court judge. Her detailed knowledge of the law and of evidence rules is an important asset on the Court of Appeals which should not be disregarded or discounted.
Bar Association groups rating judicial candidates agree that Judge Hunt is competent. She is rated exceptionally well-qualified by the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and the Joint Asian Judicial Evaluation Committee. She is rated well-qualified by Q-Law.
Judge Hunt is not only legally competent, her life experience gives her the common sense insights that help guide judicial decision making. Judge Hunt has raised two children, is married to a retired Navy Chief, served on her local school board, and has engaged in a wide variety of community activities.
Judge Hunt is decisive. When she disagrees with her fellow appellate judges, she does not hesitate to write her own dissenting opinion. In one case, Judge Hunt’s dissent was rejected by two of her fellow Court of Appeals judges, and by the Washington State Supreme Court, but was eventually accepted by the United States Supreme Court, which adopted her reasoning.
ABILITY TO
Judge Hunt is one of our most hard-working Court of Appeals judges. Her written opinions analyze the facts and apply the law, ranging in length from a few pages to many pages. In 2006, Judge Hunt wrote 94 opinions. The overall average for Washington Court of Appeals judges was 73. Judge Hunt has a demonstrated record of working hard.
MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Judge Hunt’s background has given her the ability to manage a large work load and efficiently utilize the assistance of her law clerks and administrative assistant. She was selected by her fellow judges as Chief Judge of Division II of the Court of Appeals and served in that capacity for two years.
CONSCIENTIOUS
The best indicator that Judge Hunt is conscientious is that the people who know her work ethic best – her fellow judges on Division II – have endorsed her. (One judge is prohibited from endorsing anyone because he sits of the Judicial Conduct Commission, but all of her other fellow judges have endorsed her.) In addition, Judge Hunt has sat as a judge on our Supreme Court from time to time, and seven of the Supreme Court justices have endorsed her as well.
DIGNITY
Judge Hunt has been endorsed by many lawyers and judges because she treats every litigant and lawyer with respect. Her background shows her sensitivity to the needs and concerns of minorities. She makes it a practice to recruit and hire minority law school graduates as her law clerks. Before becoming a judge, she co-chaired a mayor-appointed task force to develop ways to discourage a white supremacist group from harassing and trying to drive out non-white residents. She has sung in the Martin Luther King Community Choir for over 10 years. She was recognized with an award at the 2008 Kitsap County Martin Luther King Day. She received the 2006 Kitsap County Bar Association President’s Professionalism Award for participation in and support of Kitsap County Law Day celebrations.
IDEOLOGICAL VIEWPOINT
One of the reasons that Judge Hunt is so respected is that she steadfastly follows the law and the Constitution and successfully sets aside her own personal ideological opinions when she decides cases. Judge Hunt describes her judicial philosophy as follows:
A judge should be well prepared, have a heart for justice, abide by the limits of his or her decision-making power, respect the province of the Legislature, treat all persons with dignity, and render clear, timely decisions. I approach every case with integrity and an open mind, aware of both the impact of my court’s decisions and the limits on our authority. One of my favorite rules is that the law should be construed to avoid absurd results. When that is not possible (e.g. a statute is constitutional but does not appear to achieve what the legislature intended), I incorporate into my opinion a comment to the effect that it is for the legislature to make sure that some statutes produce the desired results, not the courts.
A HEART FOR JUSTICE
We want judges who have a burning desire in their hearts to do what is fair between the parties within the limits of the law, a striving to decide every case in a way that is not only right under the law but just under the circumstances. We cannot judge this quality based on a speech or a few minutes review of a resume. A judge’s heart for justice becomes apparent only through looking at the judge’s life long career and the way he or she has lived life, engaged with people and worked to bring about a fair and just society in which all people have an opportunity to exercise their gifts and talents and to enjoy the respect to which they are entitled. Judge Hunt has lived her life seeking justice and has continued to apply herself without reservation to bringing about justice in society and in the cases she hears. That is why she is supported by so many different people and organizations from every walk of life.