Whatcom County Council will select a new District Court judge from these candidates
Whatcom County Council members will fill a District Court judicial vacancy when they meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10.
Seven candidates are being considered to fill the remainder of Judge David Grant’s four-year term, which ends at the end of 2022.
Grant retired in June, leaving the bench after more than 35 years with Whatcom County as a deputy prosecuting attorney and a District Court judge. He was appointed in 2004, and ran unopposed in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, according to elections records.
Each candidate submitted an application and resume, along with references and letters of support. Both the Whatcom County Bar Association and the Whatcom Women Lawyers evaluated their fitness for the District Court bench.
All but one applicant was interviewed by the Whatcom County Council in an online session Aug. 5, where they had 30 minutes to answer a series of questions.
▪ Lisa Keeler is an associate with the Whatcom County law firm Carmichael Clark PS.
In addition, Keeler is a backup prosecutor for the city of Lynden, handling misdemeanor cases as required, according to her resume.
She is also a pro-tem commissioner for Whatcom County Superior Court, conducting hearings as needed, and also a Superior Court arbitrator. From 2008-2015, Keeler was an assistant state attorney general, representing various state agencies.
“I do my homework, I do that as a litigant and certainly every time I take the bench,” she told the County Council in her interview.
“I live, breathe and speak the language of technology,” Keeler said. “ I think embracing that is going to be very important for courts moving forward.”
Keeler is “qualified” for the District Court bench, according to the Whatcom County Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee and “exceptionally well-qualified” by the Whatcom Women Lawyers Judicial Evaluation Committee.
Her letters of support included those from Whatcom County Superior Court judges Robert Olsen and Evan Jones.
She graduated cum laude from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2007.
▪ Royce Buckingham is a senior deputy in the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office Civil Division. He’s worked in the Prosecutor’s Office since 1993 and is legal advisor to several county departments.
In his interview with the County Council, he cited his years of experience as a prosecutor in both criminal and civil law.
“For a judge, you want decades of experience,” Buckingham said. “I’ve handled hundreds of criminal cases per year for 15 years, from bubble gum theft all the way up to murder.”
In civil law, ”I’ve handled everything from elections to collections, from building permits to foreclosures, from septic systems to a worldwide pandemic,” he said.
Buckingham graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law.
Away from the courtroom, Buckingham is the author of more than a dozen books, including children’s fiction.
He received letters of support from Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey and Bellingham Police Chief Flo Simon. His other references include County Executive Satpal Sidhu, Auditor Diana Bradrick, and Superior Court judges Evan Jones and Dave Freeman.
He is “well-qualified” for the District Court bench, according to the Whatcom County Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee, and “exceptionally well-qualified” by the Whatcom Women Lawyers Judicial Evaluation Committee.
▪ Melissa Nelson is a senior counsel and assistant attorney general in the agency’s Bellingham office, where she is general counsel to Western Washington University.
She also serves as a judge pro-tem in Whatcom County District Court.
Nelson graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law, and has letters of support from state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, former Attorney General Rob McKenna, and District Court Judge Grant.
“My commitment to fairness is ingrained in me. Two of my top skills are listening and making people feel heard. I have a reputation as a judge and lawyer for fairness,” she told the County Council in her interview.
“District Court is often the first court that people come to when they need the legal system. I want it to be the last court,” Nelson said.
She is “well-qualified” for the District Court bench, according to the Whatcom County Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee, and “exceptionally well-qualified” by the Whatcom Women Lawyers Judicial Evaluation Committee.
▪ Jeffrey Lustick is head of the law firm Lustik, Kaiman and Madrone and a judge pro-tem in Whatcom County District Court, and Bellingham and Ferndale municipal courts.
He graduated cum laude from Gonzaga University School of Law. He is U.S. Air Force veteran and practiced in the Judge Advocate General’s office.
In addition to his legal work, he provides legal commentary for KGMI-AM and KOMO-AM and NBC and CBS regional TV stations.
Judges should have sympathy and empathy for victims, but they also must apply the law, he told the County Council in his interview.
“You have to be courageous. You have to be willing to make a decision,” he said. “As a judge, you can be a positive force in someone’s life.
Lustik withdrew from the evaluation process and did not receive a recommendation from the Whatcom County Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee. He was endorsed as “qualified” by the Whatcom Women Lawyers Judicial Evaluation Committee.
He received letters of support from Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo, Whatcom County Superior Court judges Steven Mura and Evan Jones, and Bellingham City Councilman Gene Knutson, among others.
▪ Angela Anderson is a lawyer at Anderson Legal, her law firm, defending clients accused of crimes in Whatcom and Skagit counties. She also is a public defender for the city of Lynden.
Anderson also has was a chief deputy in the Whatcom County Public Defender’s Office and served as a judge pro tem in Whatcom County District Court and Blaine and Everson municipal courts.
In her interview, she told the County Council that judges must be prepared for court and listen to prosecutors, defense lawyers and the defendant.
“The best judges I’ve been in front of take the time to put their pen down and look someone who’s speaking to them in the eye, address them by name, and show them the respect that they deserve,” Anderson said.
She graduated from Washington and Lee University School of Law.
She is “exceptionally well-qualified” for the District Court bench, according to the Whatcom County Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee and “exceptionally well-qualified” by the Whatcom Women Lawyers Judicial Evaluation Committee.
She has letters of support from Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey and former prosecutor Dave McEachran and retired county Superior Court Judge Charles Snyder.
▪ Shoshana Paige is a senior deputy in the Whatcom County Public Defender’s Office, where she has served since 2006.
Paige graduated from the University of Texas School of Law and also served in the Dallas County (Texas) Public Defender’s Office.
“A judge needs to be decisive,” but also have empathy and use discretion, Paige told the County Council in her interview.
“People need to believe that the process is fair. They need to believe that they were heard and given a fair opportunity,” Paige said. “Nothing undermines confidence in the legal system like walking out of a hearing thinking the judge didn’t even listen to your side or didn’t treat you with respect..”
She has letters of support from Superior Court judges Lee Grochmal, Robert Olsen and Evan Jones, and Superior Court Commissioner Angela Cuevas.
Paige is “well-qualified” for the District Court bench, according to the Whatcom County Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee, and “exceptionally well-qualified” by the Whatcom Women Lawyers Judicial Evaluation Committee.
▪ Kimberly Thulin is a senior appellate deputy prosecutor with the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office, where she represents the state and county in felony and misdemeanor criminal appeals in Superior Court.
She graduated from Willamette University School of Law.
Thulin did not receive a recommendation from the Whatcom County Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee. She was endorsed as “well-qualified” by the Whatcom Women Lawyers Judicial Evaluation Committee.
Her letters of support include one from retired state Court of Appeals Judge Mary Kay Becker.
She was not interviewed by the County Council.
