Fairhurst discusses candidacy in Moses Lake

Up for re-election to state Supreme Court

MOSES LAKE - Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary E. Fairhurst discussed her candidacy for position three Tuesday morning.

The judge was visiting with the Columbia Basin Herald.

She is running against challenger Michael Bond with the primary election deciding who will sit on the bench for the next term.

Fairhurst was elected to the Supreme Court in 2002, but her service to the Supreme Court began in 1984 when she was a judicial clerk for Chief Justice William H. Williams. She eventually left the position to work as an attorney in the Attorney General's Office to gain experience because she wanted to become a Supreme Court justice.

In the time she served the Supreme Court as a judge, she's decided more than 600 cases and drafted more than 100 opinions.

She chairs the Judicial Information Systems Committee and the Board for Judicial Administration's Public Trust and Confidence Committee, she serves the Supreme Court's Rules Committee and Personnel Committee and is a member of the Council on Public Legal Education and the Court Security Committee.

Fairhurst says she is able to better serve the public through the committees she works with. On the public trust committee, she is able to ensure materials are provided to people to navigate the court system.

Fairhurst also works to raise money to provide legal counsel to people who can't afford it. She works to encourage attorneys to offer free legal counsel.

She said it's important to help educate the public about law and the difference between the three branches of government to help them understand how decisions are made and enforced.

"I have a deep passion and commitment to the legal system and that's why I should be re-elected," she said.

She said the most challenging part of her job is handling death penalty cases. She said there is a large amount of reading, sometimes boxes of materials to review.

"It's the ultimate sanction," she said about the importance of reviewing death penalty cases. "Those are very challenging issues."

The most rewarding part of her job is having the ability to make a difference in people's lives through her decisions and her ability to improve the court system.

"Our duty is to uphold the Constitution but we also need to figure out what the constitution means," she said. "We can't say how we rule. We don't know and we shouldn't know."

When asked how she can engage voters with the election, she said they should review what groups support the candidates and to consider attorneys she's ruled against who still believe she is a fair justice.

She suggested voters visit votingforjudges.org, a reported unbiased group which collects information about candidates.

"I really trust the people to learn what they can," Fairhurst said.

When asked if she has ruled in cases contrary to her personal beliefs, she said yes. She declined to cite specific cases. When making decisions, she said her opinions and feelings do not matter, it's important to review the facts. Public support and pressure is not a factor in making decisions, she said.

She also discussed her opinions about gay marriage and the Second Amendment.

The state Supreme Court decided in a 5-4 vote last year to uphold a ban of gay marriages.

She said the reason not to allow the union is because according to the Legislature, marriage is for the purposes for procreation. She disagreed, voted against it and said marriage is a fundamental right that should not be deprived from anyone.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided 5-4 to remove overall bans on firearms, stipulating Americans have a right to own firearms.

Fairhurst said the state Constitution indicates everyone has the right to own firearms, but the state is allowed to include conditions of ownership.

She said her philosophy when handling cases is to always look to state Constitution and use common sense if the Constitution is not clear.

More information about Fairhurst and her opponent is being published in the state Voters' Pamphlet due to be mailed to homes before the primary election Aug. 19.