Whatcom County Council will appoint new judge. Here’s why
Applications are being accepted for a vacancy on the Whatcom County District Court that opened this month when Judge David Grant retired before his term ended.
County Council members will appoint a judge to fill the last 18 months of Grant’s four-year term.
Candidates must be registered voters in Whatcom County and able to practice law in Washington state.
An application form is available at the County Council website, or by calling 360-778-5010 or emailing council@co.whatcom.wa.us.
Deadline to apply is 4 p.m. June 28.
Grant was a deputy prosecuting attorney in Whatcom County for 18 years before his appointment to the District Court bench in 2004, according to elections records.
He ran unopposed in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.
“With the aid of jail staff and administration, the (District) Court has been able to implement an array of alternatives to traditional incarceration,” Grant wrote in the 2018 voter pamphlet.
“Sentenced offenders typically serve sentences on electronic home detention or on community service or work programs. For those requiring some form of pretrial supervision, many are released pending trial with minimally invasive forms of electronic or personal reporting alternatives delivered through jail or probation staff. I am proud to be a part of this effort,” he wrote.
Before becoming a lawyer, Grant was a police officer in Lincoln, Nebraska.
In addition to his law degree, he has a master’s degree in criminal justice.
Whatcom County District Court consists of two judges, an appointed commissioner and their staff.
The court hears cases that include criminal misdemeanors, general civil actions and small claims, infractions including traffic and code violations, and miscellaneous other cases, according to the Whatcom County website.
District Court judges earn $190,120 as of July 1, 2020, according to the Washington Citizens Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials.
