Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Public welcome as Court of Appeals, Div. I to hear cases June 1 at Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon

The Washington State Court of Appeals, Division I, will hear oral arguments during a community visit to Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon on Thursday, June 1. The public is welcome to attend the oral arguments and to ask questions about the role and operations of the Court of Appeals during a Q&A session directly following argument.

The hearings will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Tarro Theater, 2405 East College Way, and will be recorded and livestreamed by TVW. 

“I am so looking forward to this great opportunity to have our court travel to the northern part of our region,” said Division I Chief Judge Lori K. Smith. “Having our arguments available for viewing via TVW has provided the opportunity for more people to see oral argument. But giving people, who might not be able to travel to Seattle, the opportunity to see oral argument live and ask questions afterwards is really exciting for us.”

Beginning at 9:30 a.m., Chief Judge Lori K. Smith, Acting Chief Judge Cecily C. Hazelrigg and Judge Bill A Bowman will hear arguments in the following cases:

• 835386 – State of Washington v. Frank Walton:  Walton argues the trial court erred in denying two of his GR 37 objections during voir dire and further raises challenges as to sufficiency and unanimity.
• 835467 – State of Washington v. James Spitzer:  Defendant challenges his conviction for Rape arguing that sufficient evidence does not support an element of the charge and the prosecutor committed misconduct in closing argument.  He also claims the court improperly relied on an out-of-state conviction in calculating his offender score at sentencing. 
• 842935 – Hartford, LLC, et ano. V. Tandem Services Corp., et ano:  Hartford sues to invalidate a right of first refusal to purchase real property arguing that it violates the rule against perpetuities. 
• 844881 – Michael Conklin v. Boeing Co., et al.:  Boeing employee appeals superior court order affirming Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals’ decision regarding his worker’s compensation claim with L&I.

Each argument will last approximately 20 minutes. Legal briefs and other filings in these cases can be found at the Appellate Courts Public Document Portal.

Division I of the Court of Appeals is located in Seattle and hears appeals of cases from trial courts throughout the state, but primarily from King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan and Island counties.

This event was originally scheduled for the spring of 2020, but was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience and technological developments gained from working through the pandemic will enable Division I to continue with traveling court events within its region going forward. Division I is looking forward to bringing its work closer to the communities it serves.

Further information on the history, members and operations of the three divisions of the Washington Court of Appeals is available at Washington State Courts - Appellate and Trial Courts.

Contact:  Court of Appeals, Div. I Clerk Lea Ennis, (206) 464-7750, Lea.Ennis@courts.wa.gov .