Bastine Appointed To Superior Court

Paul A. Bastine was appointed to Spokane County Superior Court by Gov. Mike Lowry on Tuesday. Bastine, 56, is a business litigation attorney. He replaces Judge Robert Whaley, who recently was appointed to the U.S. District Court in Spokane.

Bastine will earn $96,600 annually and will begin work July 20.

A graduate of West Valley High School and Gonzaga University Law School, Bastine was a Spokane County deputy prosecutor for less than a year in 1966 before resigning to enter private practice.

In the early 1970s, Bastine served on the board of Spokane County Legal Services, which provided legal aid to low-income families. After a shake-up in funding led to creation of Evergreen Legal Services, Bastine served on that board five years.

He has been on several Washington Bar Association committees evaluating pro bono legal work and cochairs the Volunteer Lawyer Program of the Spokane County Bar Association. He also is a member of the Equal Access to Justice Board of the Washington Supreme Court.

Bastine will have to run for the office in elections this fall.

, DataTimes