Attorney backs Estudillo

To the editor:

I have been following the letters submitted by retired Judge Ken Jorgensen relating to his view of the qualifications of Judge David Estudillo to serve as our Grant County Superior Court Judge.

I don’t agree with Jorgensen’s assessment, but what caught my eye in his most recent letter was this statement: “It is difficult to track down Estudillo’s history.”

Not so. Judge Estudillo has had a website since February of this year, and if one goes to that site – www.judgeestudillo.com – not only is his personal and legal background displayed there, he has even posted his full resume.

Judge Estudillo began his legal career 17 years ago in the Moses Lake office of the well-respected Eastern Washington law firm, Jeffers Danielson Sonn & Aylward. He practiced there for several years and then, wanting more actual courtroom litigation experience, accepted a job with a litigation firm in Seattle.

His Seattle practice included complex civil litigation and multi-million dollar lawsuits. He has significant courtroom experience under his belt.

He married Moses Lake native Sandra Godinez Estudillo. When their children came of school age, the family moved back to Moses Lake, where Judge Estudillo practiced personal injury, insurance defense, and immigration law until joining the judiciary in 2015.

Jorgensen, who has been retired for eight years, also misses the fact that Judge Estudillo has been serving admirably on our Superior Court bench for over a year.

And while Jorgensen may wish that the state Constitution didn’t require a governor to appoint a judge to fill a vacancy when a judge retires, that is still what our Constitution says, and Judge Estudillo was a well-chosen appointment.

Brian J. Dano

Moses Lake