Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

King County Superior Court Judge Elected Co-Chair of State Board for Judicial Administration

King County Superior Court Judge Deborah Fleck will co-chair the statewide judicial administration board in cooperation with the Chief Justice of the Washington Supreme Court.  By a unanimous vote, members of the Washington State Board for Judicial Administration (BJA) elected Judge Fleck to the position of ‘member-chair’ for 2003-2005 at a meeting held on June 20.

Charged with the adoption of policies and providing leadership for the administration of justice in Washington Courts, the BJA represents the more than 400 elected judges presiding at four levels: the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, superior courts and courts of limited jurisdiction, or district and municipal courts.

Fleck expressed her intentions to focus several priorities through the BJA: Adequate funding for the judiciary; development of best practices to efficiently provide quality resolution of cases; and increased public education about the justice system.

“I look forward to working with the BJA on these critical issues, while serving all the judges of Washington State,” said Fleck of her recent election. “I’m  honored to share these responsibilities with Chief Justice Gerry Alexander.”

Fleck is immediate past-president of the Superior Court Judges’ Association of Washington.  She has served on the superior court bench since 1992, and is the chief judge at the King County Superior Court’s Regional Justice Center.  She has chaired numerous committees aimed at improving operations of the courts in relation to family and juvenile issues as well as race and justice issues. 

She was honored as the 1999 Jurist of the Year by the Family Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association, and as Judge of the Year in 2000 by the Washington State Trial Lawyers’ Association. 

Fleck replaces Kitsap County District Court Judge James Riehl, now the past member-chair of the BJA.

Wendy K. Ferrell Judicial Communications Manager 360.705.5331 e-mail Wendy.Ferrell@courts.wa.gov

Lorrie Thompson Communications Officer 360.705.5347 Lorrie.Thompson@courts.wa.gov