Judge Frank D. James

DIVISION I, POSITION 1

August 18, 1969–September 15, 1982

Appointed by Governor Evans; Resigned

Judge James was admitted to the Washington State Bar in 1930. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he served as an acting Municipal Court judge in Seattle, and was appointed to the King County Superior Court in 1949.

After 20 years as a superior court judge, Judge James was appointed, pursuant to Laws of 1969, as one of the original members of the Court of Appeals, Division One.

Judge James made news for a decision involving prior restraint. In 1967 Stokely Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture) was invited to Seattle to speak, but the Seattle School Board denied the use of Garfield High School. Judge James ruled that keeping Carmichael away was a prior restraint, generally considered unconstitutional, and the speech went forward at Garfield.

Judge James also visited Rotary and Lions clubs to encourage people to voluntarily desegregate their community.

Scores of former parolees returned to thank Judge James for his concern in their time of trouble.

Judge James resigned from the Court of Appeals in 1982.