Richard B. Sanders

Richard B. Sanders is a member of the Washington State Supreme Court. He was elected in 1995 to a partial term to fill a vacancy on the court, and re-elected to two full six-year terms in 1998 and in 2004. His judicial philosophy is strongly libertarian.

Controversies

Less than an hour after taking his oath of office, Justice Sanders became embroiled in controversy by speaking in front of a gathering of protesters [http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19990117&slug=2939207] outside the court building (known as the "Temple of Justice" in Washington state). A judicial commission claimed that his speech violated ethics rules against political activity by judges, and sanctioned him. The Court of Appeals reversed the sanctions in 1998 [http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980428&slug=2747689] , ruling that his appearance at the rally was protected by his First Amendment rights. He was reelected by a strong majority (roughly two-thirds) of voters in November 1998.

In December 2007, a friend mailed a joke Christmas present to Sanders' office, a dummy hand grenade. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004085189_webbomb20m.html]

External Links

* [http://www.justicesanders.com/ Sanders' personal site]
* [http://www.courts.wa.gov/appellate_trial_courts/supreme/bios/?fa=scbios.display_file&fileID=sanders Official biography on Washington State Supreme Court site]