Judge Willard J. Roe

DIVISION III, POSITION 4

January 4, 1978–July 30, 1983

Appointed by Governor Ray; Passed away while in office

Judge Willard Roe was appointed by Governor Dixie Lee Ray in 1978 to a newly created position on Division Three of the Court of Appeals.

Judge Roe graduated from Gonzaga law school in 1940. He then received a master’s degree from Catholic University in 1942. He served in the U.S. Air Force and worked with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency before returning to Spokane to practice and teach law. Judge Roe served on the superior court bench from 1962 to 1977. During this tenure, Judge Roe received the Gonzaga University law medal in 1971 for outstanding contribution to the field of law.

Judge Roe was an inveterate teacher. He authored a book entitled “Latin for Lawyers,” that outlined the definitions of various Latin legal phrases. He also provided annual Supreme Court reviews to the Spokane County Bar Association and other organizations.

Judge Roe was an ardent believer in stare decisis. He recognized that the strength of the legal system lay in its predictability. Lawyers needed to be able to advise their clients accurately and trial judges required predictable rules on which to base their decisions. Judge Roe’s commitment to stare decisis was often a driving factor in his judicial decisions.

Apart from law and teaching, Judge Roe also had many hobbies, including boat-building, pottery, golf, bridge, and making wine and soap.

The year Judge Roe joined the Court of Appeals he was honored as trial judge of the year by the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association. Judge Roe died in 1983 at the age of 67 while boating with his family on the Snake River. He was serving as chief judge of Division Three at the time of his death.