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Governor signs legislation
adding superior court judge
in Skagit County
Skagit County has been
given the approval to add a fourth superior court judge thanks to
legislation co-sponsored by Reps.
Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor and Kirk
Pearson, R-Monroe.
House Bill 1112 providing
that authority unanimously passed the House and Senate. It was signed
into law Tuesday by Gov. Christine Gregoire.
"We heard loud and clear
from Skagit County that there was a great deal of need for an additional
judge because of the increased caseload," said Bailey.
"The last time a superior court judge was added in Skagit County was in
1992 and since then, the amount of caseload has nearly doubled to 6,200
filings a year," noted Pearson. "Adding a fourth judge will help to
reduce waiting times for cases to be heard and hopefully speed up
justice."
Under the bill, the
addition of a superior court judge would become effective if Skagit
County documents its approval of the position by Jan. 1, 2007, and
agrees that it will fund the expenses of the position, including court
facilities.
"To this point, the court
has done all that it can to increase efficiency. The county
commissioners are in agreement that a fourth judge is needed," added
Bailey. "A workload analysis actually indicates the need for 5.4 judges
based on the caseload, which means the county may still be short of the
amount of judges needed. However, this bill will provide much needed
relief for the court system in Skagit County."
"This is a big victory for
Skagit County. The measure was a bipartisan effort of the legislators
who represent the Skagit County area. I’m very pleased to see this go
through," concluded Pearson.
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For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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