Whatcom Council appoints this former public defender to be District Court judge
A former public defender who’s now running her own law firm is Whatcom County’s newest judge — and the first woman on the District Court bench.
Angela Anderson will serve the rest of Judge David Grant’s four-year term, which ends at the end of 2022, the County Council decided on a 5-2 vote during an online meeting Tuesday, Aug. 10.
“It’s a privilege to be the first female District Court judge,” Anderson told The Bellingham Herald on Monday, Aug. 16.
“I’m fortunate to have been guided by strong female attorneys and judges throughout my career. I hope that I can follow their great examples while I’m on the bench,” she said.
Whatcom County District Court consists of two elected judges who serve four-year terms and decide cases that include criminal misdemeanors, general civil actions and small claims, civil infractions including traffic tickets and code violations, and various other cases.
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.
Anderson said she wasn’t sure when she’ll start hearing cases, because she has to resolve several remaining matters for her clients.
“I’m very excited about being offered the position and couldn’t be more honored to serve the people of our community,” Anderson said. “I really appreciate the confidence that the (County) Council had in me.”
For the selection process, seven candidates 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.
One candidate withdrew, and the County Council interviewed six candidates in a special online meeting on Aug. 5.
At Anderson Legal, her law firm, Anderson defends clients accused of crimes in Whatcom and Skagit counties. She also is a public defender for the city of Lynden.
She also has been a chief deputy in the Whatcom County Public Defender’s Office and served as a temporary judge in Whatcom County District Court and in the Blaine and Everson municipal courts.
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 had letters of support for her appointment from Whatcom County Prosecutor Eric Richey and former prosecutor Dave McEachran and retired county Superior Court Judge Charles Snyder.
