Justices Agree To Strict Campaign Ethics Pledges

Press Release

Justices Agree To Strict Campaign Ethics Pledges

Justices Mary Fairhurst, Debra Stephens and Charles Johnson-all seeking re-election to the state's highest court this year, today joined in an unprecedented commitment to running fair and "clean" campaigns-signing similar pledges from the King County Bar Association and the newly formed Washington Committee for Ethical Judicial Campaigns, founded by recently retired Appeals Court Judge William Baker.

Unified effort sets tone for respectful 2008 campaigns, a sharp contrast to the acrimony of 2006

Justices Mary Fairhurst, Debra Stephens and Charles Johnson-all seeking re-election to the state's highest court this year, today joined in an unprecedented commitment to running fair and "clean" campaigns-signing similar pledges from the King County Bar Association and the newly formed Washington Committee for Ethical Judicial Campaigns, founded by recently retired Appeals Court Judge William Baker.

"I believe judicial candidates should aspire to the highest ethical standards to promote public trust and confidence in the fairness and impartiality of Washington courts," begins the pledge from Baker's group. "To that end, I will not take any action during the campaign which will harm the public faith in the integrity of the judicial system in Washington..."

The pledge concludes that: "If requested by the Washington Committee for Ethical Judicial Campaigns, I will publicly disavow advertisements that impugn the dignity, integrity, or independence of a candidate and will use my best efforts to have such advertising modified or discontinued," a clear response to the barrage of negative, special interest driven advertising that marked a particularly acrimonious 2006 supreme court election season.

"People expect fairness and integrity from their Justices, so it's only common sense that we run our campaigns along these same principles," said Justice Fairhurst, finishing her first term. "I am proud of my record and look forward to an open discussion with the people of Washington."

Justice Debra Stephens, the newest member of the court, noted that the timing of the announcement-the first day of the official candidate filing period- is meant to set the tone for the campaign. "We thought it was important to jointly announce our commitment to these principles, and hope our example will encourage judges at all levels of court to sign on as well," said Stephens.

The longest serving Justice, Charles Johnson, has made clean campaigns a hallmark of his three terms on the bench.

"I was disappointed and shocked by the harsh, negative tone and deceptiveness we saw in 2006," said Johnson. "All of us deserve and expect to be held accountable to the voters for our judicial decisions and conduct, but voters deserve an honest debate on qualifications, and not mudslinging or misleading statements by campaigns."

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