Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 3, Position 1

This may take just a bit of explanation. Here’s the hierarchy of courts:

Municipal Court (a town’s court)

District Court (usually in a city)

Superior Court (usually at the county level)

Court of Appeals (covers several counties)

Supreme Court (statewide)

The only judicial position on the primary ballot is

Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 3, Position 1, which translates to Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan, and Island counties.  In the general election we will be voting for judges on the Supreme Court. Because they are judges, these are non-partisan positions.

Roger Leishman          https://leishmanforjudge.com/  

leishmanforjudge@reachfar.net

from his website:

Roger Leishman is single father, an experienced attorney, and longtime community leader.

After living on Whidbey Island for fifteen years, Roger and his children moved back to Bellingham in 2015 when he accepted a position as chief legal advisor to Western Washington University. 

Two years ago, Roger started exhibiting strange and debilitating new anxiety symptoms, such as constant trichotillomania, i.e. compulsive hair pulling. Roger's physician diagnosed him with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). An unforeseen office dynamic had triggered PTSD symptoms rooted in trauma that occurred thirty years ago when Roger was a closeted and overachieving Mormon youth. Fortunately, Roger's health care providers were able to identify the relevant youthful traumas and present-day triggers and develop an effective treatment plan. For the last year, Roger has practiced law part-time, caught up on his reading and writing, and spent time with his family. His disability would not require any special accommodation in order to serve on the Court of Appeals. 

Roger and his former partner Jason are amicably raising their three children with the help of Roger’s parents and Jason’s husband, Bellingham doctor Brenden Witte. Two of the children were adopted from the Washington foster system. Rosalind, Eleanor, and Oliver all attend Bellingham public schools.

In addition to wrangling kids, Roger’s hobbies include reading, running, theater, and music. Roger currently commutes across the border each week to sing Second Tenor in Vancouver Men’s Chorus. Roger previously sang in Seattle Men’s Chorus, Windy City Gay Chorus, and the Cathedral Choir of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral.

Roger has served on the Board of Governors of the Washington State Bar Association, as well as the boards of Q-Law: the LGBT Bar Association of Washington, Seattle Men’s Chorus/Seattle Women’s Chorus, the Equality Federation, and the ACLU of Washington. Roger also served as the longtime chair of the Washington Initiative for Diversity, the nonprofit organization promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

There was more but it gets repetitive. Mr Leishman sounds like a nice person who might well do a good job. I don’t see him as outstanding beyond several of the other candidates.

Cecily Hazelrigg-Hernandez   https://cecilyforcoa.com/   https://www.facebook.com/cecilyforcoa

cecilyforcoa@gmail.com

Ms Hazelrigg-Hernandez is a Skagit County public defender.

Statement: Born and raised in Northwest Washington, I attended Oak Harbor schools, SVC and WWU before Gonzaga law school. I am a seasoned trial attorney focusing on criminal law and a former instructor at Western Washington University. My years working as a public defender in the Skagit County courts, teaching at the university level, and demonstrated commitment to community service have uniquely prepared me to represent the residents of Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan and Island Counties at the Court of Appeals.

My legal career has been focused on access to justice and centered on providing quality advocacy for my clients, regardless of their socioeconomic status. I am a bilingual attorney, enabling me to connect with a broader cross-section of our local communities. Sharply inquisitive by nature, my approach to legal representation is thoughtful and reasoned. While I am open and effective in collaborative efforts, I will stand with confidence on independent positions.

I pursued a legal career to engage my love of research, analytical skills and advocacy for the benefit of the community where I live and raise my children. My work ethic is formidable, and I am ready to put it to work for District 3.

https://progressivevotersguide.com/washington/2018/primary/cecily-hazelrigg-hernandez#race3441

Again, there’s more, but I’m trying to be concise here. Ms Hazelrigg-Hernandez also sounds interesting and reasonably competent. She has the support of various progressive organizations. But again, I don’t see her as a standout beyond several of the other candidates.

Tom Seguine   http://tomseguine.com/

northcascadeslegal@gmail.com

This announcement courtesy of Skagit Republicans:

It’s Official! Tom SeGuine, appellate attorney at law and former prosecuting attorney for Skagit County, has filed to run for Judge on the Court of Appeals in Division I, District 3. One judge will be selected to represent Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom counties, following the November 2018 General Election. Tom wants to be YOUR Judge on the court. Tom has been a respected attorney in Northwest Washington for over 25 years. His specific experience in appellate law… with many cases going on to the state Supreme Court… along with his critical thinking and fair-mindedness make him an ideal candidate for the position!
What goes on at the Court of Appeals? Most cases appealed from superior courts go directly to the Court of Appeals. It is a non-discretionary appellate court--it must accept all appeals filed with it. The Court of Appeals has authority to reverse (overrule), remand (send back to the lower court), modify, or affirm the decision of the lower court.
The court decides each case after reviewing the transcript of the record in the superior court and considering the arguments of the parties. Generally, the court hears oral arguments in each case but does not take live testimony.
To qualify for a position on the Court of Appeals, a person must have practiced law in Washington state for five years and, at the time of election, lived for a year or more in the district from which that position was drawn. Of course Tom surpasses all these minimums by leaps and bounds! 

https://skagitrepublicans.com/ElectTomSeguineStateAppellateCourtJudge

 

Back in May I received a letter from Mr Seguine inviting me to donate and to work on his campaign. It would be a frigid day in a very hot region before I would do so. I have no clue where he got my name, but I have experience with Mr Seguine and it has not been good. Remember the godawful case of Wonn Road public beach access? The wealthy neighbor stealing the access hired none other than Tom Seguine to represent the neighbors in that case. Seguine demonstrated himself to be inarticulate, unprepared, and generally incompetent. Nt what I would want to see on the Appellate court.

Lisa Keeler      https://www.lisakeeler.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ElectLisaKeeler/

contact@lisakeeler.com

From her website: 

Lisa loves the law and cares about the impact it has on you. She has civil, criminal and family law experience. She’s done appellate work, administrative hearings, jury and bench trials, as well as transactional work. Her entire career has been practicing primarily in Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, and Island Counties.

​She has represented small and large businesses, workers, government agencies, individuals, and the public interest. She served the community as an Assistant Attorney General for many years and now has a private practice with Carmichael Clark, P.S.

"As a young, experienced, innovative woman attorney, I am ready to commit to the hard work necessary to serve our community as a judge and make a positive impact within the judiciary."

endorsed by Mary Fairhurst & Debra Stevens – supreme court, Alan Hancock, Island County Superior Court, & various Whatcom judges, & the owner of Knead & Feed in Coupeville.

Ms Keeler’s claim to fame appears to be that she is young and energetic. While she appears competent, I see nothing to make her stand out beyond the other candidates.

Rita Latsinova             https://ritaforcourtofappeals.com/

info@ritaforcourtofappeals.com

Quoting from the campaign website:                                                                                                    Rita Latsinova has more – and the greatest range – of Court of Appeals experience than any of her competitors, having spent the last 20 years focused on appellate cases. In addition to all levels of Washington appellate courts, she has appeared before the federal district court for the Western District of Washington, the federal district court for the Eastern District of Washington, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, and has handled cases before superior courts in Oregon, Iowa and New Hampshire.

As told by her husband of 33 years:
Born in the Soviet Union in 1960, Rita grew up in a small apartment in Moscow with her parents. She attended an English-language immersion school and then studied English and Philology (the study of languages) at the Moscow Institute of Foreign Languages, graduating with a Masters Degree. To pay for her free education, she was required to work for the state agency for foreign tourists as a guide and interpreter. She would show groups around Moscow and its sights, and then would accompany the group for the rest of the itinerary to other major cities of the former Soviet Union.
Around the same time, I was living in New York City.  I wanted to travel and see the world and felt fortunate to be offered a job at a tour company on Long Island that specialized in taking groups of professionals to foreign countries. In June of 1983, I was leading a large group of American nurses to Moscow. One of the two Russian guides assigned to my group was Rita.
We spent two weeks working together. Later that year we ran into each other by chance in St. Petersburg. After spending a drizzly afternoon walking around and talking, somewhat to the surprise of both of us, I asked her to marry me. She said yes. The reality of our decision was not as easy. It took two years to collect all the necessary signed and stamped documents required by both sides. Finally, in 1985 we were married in the ornate Palace of Weddings, followed by a reception in the Metropole Hotel just off Red Square.

As told by Rita:
You’ll find I don’t shy away from challenges, nor complex technical cases, nor the time required. I love my work, however long it takes and how much time it takes me away from my family.
In my “free” time, I am committed to applying my legal skills for the public good.  I served as a Washington State Bar Association Hearing Officer in attorney discipline cases.  I believe that all lawyers should apply their training to public service and have volunteered, pro bono, as a cooperating lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, Northwest Women’s Law Center (now Legal Voice), and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. In what I call my “David and Goliath” case, I represented a community group of neighbors in a constitutional challenge of federal and local government regulations.
Over the last several years, I have served as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington in disputes with the State’s insurers. It is my aspiration to be a judge who follows the law with an open mind, a compassionate ear, and a consistent application of the dual directive of statute: applying precedent to the facts of the case so far as it is not inconsistent with the law nor out of touch with the institutions and values of the people here in Washington State.

Pro Bono Cases

WOMEN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE  Jane Doe v. United States (Fed. Cir. 2004) cooperating with NW Women’s Law Center

Rita challenged the denial of an abortion to the wife of a man in military service here in Washington covered by the government health insurance program. The regulations denied coverage for medically-necessary abortions even when the fetus is diagnosed with anencephaly, a condition where it has no brain and cannot survive.

RESULT: The woman was able to receive the abortion and its expenses were covered.

IMMIGRATION RIGHTS

Roshandel v. Chertoff, (W.D. Wash. 2008) cooperating with ACLU and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Rita challenged the long delays in processing background checks of lawful green card holders applying for naturalization as US citizens. After the federal district court certified the case as a class action, the case was settled in time for the applications to be processed in advance of the 2008 election.
RESULT: The 500 plus plaintiffs she represented won the right to vote in that election.
Ms Latsinova is endorsed by some very big legal names: Bobbe Bridge, Barbara Madsen, Phil Talmadge, all former state Supreme Court judges,  both 40^th district reps, and Helen Price-Johnson. Aside from what sounds like a great personal history, I am won over by the pro-bono work on causes near and dear to me. This sounds like a person who will listen carefully, judge based on consistency with existing law and previous case law – but still lean toward support of the small people and those who are trying to right wrongs.
I’ll be voting for Rita Latsinova.