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Commission reports staffing surge and files rule proposal to clarify access to court records
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Summary
Executive Director Draco Palmer told the commission the office is expanding staff and space after a roughly 200% increase in complaints; staff also submitted a rules proposal to the state Supreme Court to clarify the commission’s access to court records, with a June 2 comment deadline.
Executive Director Draco Palmer told the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct on April 24 that the commission has received legislative funding to expand its staff after a roughly 200% increase in complaints in recent years, and that office construction is underway to accommodate new hires.
Palmer said the funding derives from a prior legislative session and that the commission expects to be back in its office space by May after adjustments to accommodate new staff. "We were successful in obtaining money from the legislature … to hire more staff to deal with a pretty overwhelming uptake in complaints to the commission, something like 200% over the last several years," Palmer said.
Palmer also reported that the rules committee submitted a proposal to clarify the commission’s access to court records, including sealed files, to the state Supreme Court and circulated the proposal to stakeholders including the Washington State Bar Association and local judge associations. The staff attorney told the committee the proposal has been forwarded to stakeholders for comment and that the deadline for those comments is June 2; subsequent steps depend on the court’s decisions about publication for public comment or adoption.
The executive director's report included a summary of pending public commission cases and a Supreme Court decision in a separate matter (In re Rezumna) that upheld removal of a judge in a prior panel decision. Palmer also reminded members about technology and case access issues and commended investigative staff for processing a large inventory of cases.
Separately, the chair reported that the commission’s executive director (Ms. Kolner) intends to retire at the end of the calendar year and that a subcommittee has circulated a job posting and begun evaluating applicants for the position. The commission approved the business session minutes and then recessed for a 10‑minute break before moving into a closed executive session to address additional cases.
The rules proposal's comment deadline is June 2; the commission will notify members and stakeholders about next steps as they are determined by the court.
