David Stevens, Candidate for Supreme Court Justice, Position 3

[Editor's note: This Candidate Statement was published without edits from The Highline Journal]

I am Judge David Stevens. I am running for Washington State Supreme Court, Position 3. After High School, I joined the Navy. After my enlistment, I used my veteran’s benefits to attend the University of Washington, where I met my wife. After graduating, I worked as a Federal Civil Rights Investigator for the Fair Housing Enforcement Center Seattle, fighting racial and ethnic discrimination. I then went to the UW School of Law.

My wife and I live in Shelton, close to six of our nine grandchildren. We are involved in our community through our church, Mount Olive Lutheran Church, where I am a Deacon; the VFW Larry Godwin Post 1694 Honor Guard, where we do services for veteran’s funerals; and as a member of Skookum Rotary, Shelton, where we help with Oysterfest.

In the last two decades, direct appointment of judges by the governor rather than election of judges by the people has become an entrenched tradition. Our State Constitution mandated the election of judges because direct appointment leads to ideological and political decisions. Appointments were reserved for vacancies. More than 70% of our current judges were appointed by the governor. I was elected and not appointed. I was then re-elected. My opponent was appointed by a governor.

One of the reasons I am running for the Washington State Supreme Court is the recently mandated General Rule (GR 37). The rule treats jurors answers to questions in jury selection differently based on the juror’s race or ethnicity. Basically, if a racial or ethnic minority expresses a clear, negative bias in a case that involves law enforcement, that potential juror cannot be dismissed. GR 37 mandates racial and ethnic stereotyping. The United States Supreme Court has said that practices such as this “raise serious and troubling issues of due process and equal protection” and “far from combating racism, [it] institutionalizes variation of that odious practice.”

I believe that people must be respected and treated equally in our courts and not judged differently because of their race or ethnicity. GR 37 does not prohibit discrimination based on religious beliefs. If you have strong religious beliefs but take an oath that you can be fair and will follow the law, you can be kicked off a jury. GR 37 is unconstitutional as well as un-American.

I am a textualist in statutory interpretation and originalist in constitutional interpretation. I strongly favor judicial restraint and stare decisis. I am strongly opposed to Legal Pragmatism approach embraced by my opponent. Changed technology, morality, or social conditions do not authorize judges to give unchanged constitutional language a new meaning. When the Constitution produces undesirable results, a constitutional amendment—not judicial reinterpretation—is the only legitimate mechanism for changing it.

Beware of candidates that blithely say they support the Rule of Law. Every judge supports the Rule of Law. Uttering empty phrases tell you nothing about a candidate.

Voting for me will bring common sense and balance back to the Supreme Court. Learn more about me at JudgeStevensforWA.com

Elect Judge David Stevens

Elect Judge David Stevens0

David Stevens is running against Jamie Hawk.

The Highline Journal extended the same invitation to both candidates. Publication is provided at no charge and does not constitute an endorsement.