Charles Johnson

Washington Supreme Court

Position Four

Charles Johnson OCCUPATION/EMPLOYER: Associate Chief Justice, Washington State Supreme Court.

LEGAL EXPERIENCE: Justice Charles Johnson, the most senior member of the Washington State Supreme Court, has spent 18 years protecting individual rights, balancing the scales for those less privileged, and improving court efficiency. For 12 years he has taught the Washington State Constitution at Seattle University School of Law. Before joining the State Supreme Court, Justice Johnson worked 14 years as a lawyer helping people with every-day needs.

EDUCATION: Seattle University School of Law, J.D., 1976, University of Washington, B.A., 1974, Curtis High School, Tacoma.

CANDIDATE STATEMENT: Justice Charles Johnson has proven he understands and protects our rights and freedoms. For 18 years, his record shows his commitment to protecting privacy rights and holding government accountable, coupled with his courage and ability to decide the difficult issues the Court faces.

Evaluated by lawyers groups, Justice Johnson rates "exceptionally well qualified". His fairness, intellect, common sense and impartiality are reflected by groups supporting his re-election, including: Washington State Labor Council, Association of Washington Business, Joint Council of Firefighters, American Federation of Teachers, Washington Conservation Voters, Washington State Young Democrats, Mainstream Republicans of Washington, Joint Council of Teamsters, and Rental Housing Association of Puget Sound.

The American Bar Association Council on Racial and Ethnic Fairness has recognized Justice Johnson's efforts to improve justice for all persons. We need Supreme Court Justices like Justice Charles Johnson, with proven experience, intelligence, integrity, fairness and impartiality. Hard work and difficult challenges underscore his entire life. He worked as a laborer to pay for his education and understands the value of our time and money.

A lifetime Washington resident, Justice Johnson and his wife, Dana, live in Gig Harbor. For more information, please visit www.justicecharlesjohnson.com.

Official web site: www.justicecharlesjohnson.com

Opponents: Jim Beecher and Frank Vulliet

Candidate ratings:

ORGANIZATION	JAMES BEECHER	CHARLES JOHNSON	FRANK VULLIET
Joint Asian Judicial Evaluation Committee	*	Exceptionally Well Qualified	*
King County Bar Association	*	Exceptionally Well Qualified	*
Latina/o Bar Association of Washington	*	Exceptionally Well Qualified	*
Loren Miller Bar Asoociation	*	Exceptionally Well Qualified	*
Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys	*	Well Qualified	*
Washington Women Lawyers	*	Exceptionally Well Qualified	*

Important note! Each of these organizations uses its own standards and rating terms when evaluating candidates; please check their pages for further information. We do not have ratings for candidates with an asterisk (*), and the reasons vary. Some evaluations may still be in process, or we might not have received them yet; some candidates may not have been offered an opportunity to participate, or they may have declined to participate. Again, please check the organizations' pages for further details.

Questionnaire response:

For King County Democrats

Finance report:

(Click a dollar figure for detailed data from the Public Disclosure Commission. Note that summary numbers here might not match detailed data for various reasons.)

CANDIDATE	REPORT DATE	CONTRIBUTIONS	EXPENDITURES
Charles Johnson	05/31/2008	$13,750.28	$2,303.63

Media stories:

		June 11, 2008
Seattle P-I		Court contenders vow fair fight
		June 3, 2008
The Olympian		Two state justices plan fair re-runs
		May 25, 2008
Tacoma News Tribune		Growing rancor a chilling effect on court races
		April 7, 2008
The Olympian		Few step up to challenge seated justices
		March 30, 2008
Seattle Times		[Editorial] The highest court merits a deep field
		March 17, 2008
The Olympian		WA Justice Charles Johnson seeks another high court term

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