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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:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer:
(360) 786-7252
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