Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Supreme Court Launches Task Force on Civil Equal Justice

         OLYMPIA--Launching an initiative to assess and ensure civil justice funding for the future, Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander today announced the formation of a Task Force on Civil Equal Justice Funding. 

In his announcement, Alexander stated that given the state’s current fiscal crisis, funding of legal services has hit an all-time low in Washington State, “Now, more than ever, the right to equal justice needs to be protected for the poor and vulnerable.”

The Task Force chair, Justice Charles W. Johnson, will convene the first meeting on March 20^th at the Temple of Justice in Olympia.  Emphasizing the important work before them, Johnson stated, “Access to justice cannot be denied based on the ability to pay. The poor and vulnerable individuals in our society must have representation in order to protect their legal rights.”

Created by order of the Washington Supreme Court, the Task Force is co-chaired by Court of Appeals Judge Mary Kay Becker.  The group has 19 members, including persons representing the public, Washington State Bar Association, the Governor’s Office, Washington State Legislature, and the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

During its one-year term, the Task Force is charged with the following:

·        Overseeing a comprehensive study of unmet civil legal needs of the poor and vulnerable in Washington State;

·        Developing an analysis of and rational for long-term, sustained and permanent state funding for essential civil legal services for citizens of Washington State;

·        Establishing an appropriate level of funding for state supported civil legal services needed to address identified unmet needs;

·        Identifying and proposing strategies to secure long-term, sustained and permanent funding to meet this need; and

·        Developing recommendations for the proper administration and oversight of publicly funded civil equal justice services.

Further information regarding the Task Force is available on the Washington Courts website at www.courts.wa.gov.

CONTACTS:  Chief Justice Gerry Alexander 360-357-2029; Justice Charles W. Johnson, Chair 360-357-2020.

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TASK FORCE ON CIVIL EQUAL JUSTICE FUNDING

• Justice Charles W. Johnson, Chair, Washington State Supreme Court
• Judge Mary Kay Becker, Co-Chair, Court of Appeals, Division I
• Everett Billingslea, Office of the Governor
• Justice Tom Chambers, Washington State Supreme Court
• Representative Jim Clements, Washington State House of Representatives
• Councilman Dow Constantine, King County Council
• Rick Coplen, Administrative Office of the Courts
• Judge Janet Garrow, King County District Court, Bellevue Division
• Judge Philip Hubbard, King County Superior Court, Regional Justice Center
• William D. Hyslop, Lukins & Annis, P.S. Spokane
• Senator Stephen L. Johnson, Washington State Senate
• Michele E. Jones, Columbia Legal Services/Access to Justice Board
• Senator Adam Kline, Washington State Senate
• Representative Patricia Lantz, Washington State House of Representatives
• Victor Lara, Private Practitioner/Legal Foundation of Washington Board
• Norm Maleng, King County Prosecutor
• Janice S. Mathison, Stemilt Orchards, Wenatchee
• John McKay, United States Attorney, Western District of Washington
• Diane Tebelius, Assistant United States Attorney, Western District of Washington
• Judge Art Wang, Chief Administrative Law Judge, Office of Hearings and Appeals