State AG
lawyer believes in strict
interpretation.
After working with Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna for several years, Olympia resident Tim Ford is seeking to replace Judge J. Robin Hunt on the Washington state Court of Appeals, Division II.
Currently Ford serves as the assistant attorney general for government accountability and is an advocate for open government providing assistance to agencies and the public on open government issues.
“I am challenging Judge Hunt because I believe her record on protecting individual rights and holding government accountable is weak,” Ford said. “Over the next several months I intend to educate the public why Hunt should be removed.”
Ford said his experience in private and public practice will make him a solid judge that the public can trust with its vote.
“My judicial philosophy is plain,” he said. “Judges should apply existing law without bias, and follow the Constitution.”
Courts must protect individual rights guaranteed by law, and hold individuals accountable where they violate the law, he said.
“I decided to run for the Court of Appeals, because I believe the courts must be accountable to the people they serve,” he said. “Judges are expected to apply the laws as written, and to follow the Constitution.”
Ford said his legal and life experiences are well-suited to the Court of Appeals, as prior to working in the state AG’s office, he filed appellate briefs in private practice on constitutional issues.
“I have broad life experience and served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy as a helicopter pilot,” he said.
Unlike trial court which typically empanel juries, hear witnesses and review evidence in a trial, the Court of Appeals reviews the legal principles and standards applied by a trial court, he said.
“The major issue that concern appellate courts is the proper application of law,” he said. “Most citizens don’t follow court cases and don’t know their judges.”
The appeals court goes largely ignored by the public unless it does something along the lines of overturning popular initiatives, he said.
“I have experience working on constitutional cases and initiative law, yet the public is affected in many ways by all types of cases that go before the Court of Appeals,” he said. “The public can and should familiarize itself with the record and philosophy of its judges.”
