Washington Courts: News and Information

Bench-Bar-Press Committee of Washington Hosts Nov. 7 Forum on Threats to Free Press and Independent Courts, to be Livestreamed by TVW

A unique committee of Washington judges, attorneys and media members is hosting a forum Friday, Nov. 7, in which panel experts will discuss current threats to freedom of the press and independence of courts. The in-person event is at maximum capacity but the panel will be livestreamed and recorded by TVW.

The forum, “Free Press, Free Courts Under Threat,” hosted by the Bench-Bar-Press Committee of Washington, will run from 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Panel members include Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver, who will serve as moderator; U.S. District Court Judge Robert Lasnik; attorney Caesar Kalinowski IV of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP; Seattle Times Executive Editor Michele Matassa Flores; and Executive Director of the Radio Television Digital News Association, Tara Puckey.

The panel discussion is just the second forum hosted by the Committee following a four-year pause during the COVID pandemic.

The Bench-Bar-Press Committee is the only committee of its kind in the U.S. Established in 1963, it is an independent committee of judges, lawyers and journalists created to foster better understanding and working relationships between courts and media. The committee’s mission is to address the tensions that can arise between the constitutional values of free press and fair trial through educational events and relationship building.

“The Bench-Bar-Press Committee has been extremely valuable over the years in helping our state’s judicial branch and media understand and work together to protect both media coverage of courts and individual rights of those who come to court,” said Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra L. Stephens, who chairs the BBP Committee.

The Committee has developed a Court Media Relations Checklist for judges, and during COVID, developed open court guidelines to help courts navigate the pandemic. Its Liaison Committee (dubbed the “Fire Brigade”) provides quick response to conflicts that arise between court/judicial actions and press coverage. The Committee has also conducted in-person training events for journalists and judges across the state.

The committee includes representatives from the judiciary, legal profession and news media.