Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

Court of Appeals Judge J. Dean Morgan Announces Retirement

June 28, 2005, Tacoma, WA-- Washington State Court of Appeals Judge J. Dean Morgan announced today that he will retire from the Court of Appeals, Division Two, effective October 5, 2005.  Division Two hears appeals from trial courts in Western Washington, from Pierce County south to the Oregon border, including the Olympic Peninsula. 

Named “Outstanding Judge of the Year” in 1998 by the Washington State Bar Association, Morgan began his judicial career on the Clark County Superior Court bench in 1977.  In 1990, he was appointed to the Court of Appeals, where he served as the Chief Judge of Division Two in 1994 and the statewide Presiding Chief Judge in 1995-1996.  Except for Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander, he is the longest serving judge of a court of record in Washington State.

“It’s been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve as a judge for the past 29 years,” Morgan said in his announcement.  “I want to thank the people of Clark County and Division Two for giving me the opportunity to do that.”

Morgan has been a leader in judicial education, earning the Board of Judicial Education’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.  Morgan has served on the faculty of the National Judicial College, where he taught evidence to judges from around the nation, and of the Washington State Judicial College, where he taught criminal procedure and evidence to judges from this state.  He has served as an adjunct professor of law, teaching evidence, at Seattle University School of Law in Seattle and Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland.  He recently was admitted to the American Law Institute, a prestigious organization that publishes “restatements” of the law.

“Although I am retiring as a judge, I am not retiring from the law,” Morgan said.  “I intend to teach, write, serve as a substitute judge, participate in groups like the American Law Institute, and pursue other legal interests.”

Prior to his judicial career, Morgan was in private law practice with Garvey, Schubert & Barer in Seattle and served as the public defender for Clark County.  He received his B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1964 and his J.D. from Hastings College of Law in 1968.  In his 37 years as attorney and judge, he has served many legal, civic, and educational organizations.