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Council committee confirms Matthew Sanders as King County public defender; board and executive cite recruitment, staffing and caseload planning
Summary
After a staff briefing and endorsements from the Public Defense Advisory Board and executive staff, the Committee of the Whole voted to confirm Matthew Sanders as King County public defender. Council discussion highlighted his interim leadership, hiring and training plans, and work to implement caseload standards ahead of a July 2 phase‑in.
The Metropolitan King County Council Committee of the Whole voted May 27 to confirm Matthew Sanders as King County public defender and director of the Department of Public Defense following a staff report, an endorsement from the Public Defense Advisory Board and remarks from the chief operating officer.
Background and vetting process
Melissa Bailey of Council Central staff summarized the chartered appointment process: the executive conducts a national recruitment, the Public Defense Advisory Board evaluates qualified candidates and forwards up to three recommendations to the executive, who then appoints from that list subject to council confirmation. Sanders had served as interim director since Oct. 5, 2024, and previously as managing attorney for the Associated Counsel for the Accused division; his packet included resumes and nine letters of support.
Board and executive recommendations
Chris Carney, chair of the Public Defense Advisory Board, told the committee the board found Sanders "highly qualified" after interviews and praised his responsiveness, outreach to unions and steps to improve communications. Dwight Dively, the county’s chief operating officer, recommended confirmation and credited Sanders for improvements in recruitment and staffing and for identifying system efficiencies in partnership with prosecutors and courts.
Sanders’s remarks and priorities
Matthew Sanders described a decade-plus career in public defense and said his top priorities are implementing sustainable caseloads, expanding training, improving staffing and onboarding processes, and preparing for phase‑1 caseload standard implementation beginning July 2. He said DPD’s incoming October training class will include 48 new attorneys and that about 43% of that incoming class are from historically underrepresented groups.
Council discussion and vote
Members asked about DPD independence and Sanders said he would assert the department’s mission and voice when disagreements with the executive arise while continuing to collaborate where possible. The committee adopted two technical amendments to the confirmation motion to align term language with charter provisions. The clerk recorded the final committee vote as "7 ayes, no nos and 2 excused." The committee sent the motion (M2025-0140) to the full council with a do‑pass recommendation on consent.
Ending
Council members praised Sanders’s combination of managerial focus and commitment to client representation and pledged to continue working with DPD leadership and unions on caseloads, training and retention.
