GR 26
                    MANDATORY CONTINUING JUDICIAL EDUCATION

Preamble.  The protection of the rights of free citizens depends upon the
existence of an independent and competent judiciary.  The challenge of
maintaining judicial competence requires ongoing education of judges in the
application of legal principles and the art of judging in order to meet the
needs of a changing society.  This rule establishes the minimum requirements
for continuing judicial education of judicial officers.

(a)   Minimum Requirement.  Each judicial officer shall complete a
minimum of 45 credit hours of continuing judicial education approved by the
Board for Court Education (BCE) every three years, commending January 1 of the
calendar year following the adoption of this rule.  If a judicial officer
completes more than 45 such credit hours in a three-year reporting period, up
to 15 hours of the excess credit may be carried forward and applied to the
judicial officer's education requirement for the following three-year reporting
period.  At least six credit hours for each three-year reporting period shall
be earned by completing programs in judicial ethics approved by the BCE.  The
fifteen credit hours that may be carried forward may include two credit hours
toward the judicial ethics requirement.

(b)  Judicial College Attendance.

     1)  A judicial officer shall attend and complete the Washington Judicial
     College program within twelve months of the initial appointment or
     election to the judicial office.

     2)  A judicial officer who attended the Washington Judicial College
     during his or her term of office in a court of limited jurisdiction shall
     attend and complete the Washington Judicial College within twelve months
     of any subsequent appointment or election to the Superior Court.  A
     judicial officer who attended the Washington Judicial College during his
     or her term of office in the Superior Court shall attend and complete the
     Washington Judicial College within twelve months of any subsequent
     appointment or election as a judicial officer in a court of limited
     jurisdiction.  A judicial officer who attended the Washington Judicial
     College during his or her term of office in a superior court or court of
     limited jurisdiction and is subsequently appointed or elected to an
     appellate court position is not required to attend the Washington Judicial College.

     3)  A judicial officer of a District Court, Municipal Court, Superior
     Court, or an appellate court, who has been a judicial officer at the time
     of the adoption of this rule for less than four years but has not attended
     the Washington Judicial College, shall attend and complete the Washington
     Judicial College program within twelve months of the adoption of this rule.

(c)  Accreditation.  BCE shall, subject to the approval of the Supreme
Court, establish and publish standards for accreditation of continuing judicial
education programs and may choose to award continuing judicial education
credits for self-study or teaching.  Continuing judicial education credit shall
be given for programs BCE determines enhance the knowledge and skills that are
relevant to the judicial office.

(d)   Compliance Report.  Each judicial officer shall file a report with
the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) on or before January 31 each year
in such form as the Administrative Office of the Courts shall prescribe
concerning the judicial officer's progress toward the continuing judicial
education requirements of sections (a) and (b) of this rule during the previous
calendar year. If a judicial officer does not respond by January 31, their
credits will be confirmed by default.  Judicial officers who do not have the
requisite number of hours at the end of their three-year reporting period will
have until March 1 to make up the credits for the previous three-year reporting
period.  These credits will not count toward their current three-year reporting
period.  AOC shall publish a report with the names of all judicial officers who
do not fulfill the requirements of sections (a) and (b) of this rule.  The AOC
report shall be disseminated by means that may include, but are not limited to,
publishing on the Washington Courts Internet web site, publishing the
information as part of any voter's guide produced by or under the direction of
the Administrative Office of the Courts, and releasing the information in
electronic or printed form to media organizations throughout the Washington State.

(e)   Delinquency.   Failure to comply with the requirements of this rule
may be deemed a violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct that would subject a
judicial officer to sanction by the Commission on Judicial Conduct.

(f)   Definition.  The term "judicial officer" as used in this rule shall
not include judges pro tempore but shall otherwise include all full or part
time appointed or elected justices, judges, court commissioners, and magistrates.

[Adopted effective July 1, 2002; December 31, 2003; amended November 7, 2002; December 31, 2007.]