Our View: Superior Court judge has a proven track record

As a deputy prosecuting attorney, David Stevens has seen Spokane County Superior Court Judge Linda Tompkins in action. He doesn’t think she’s up to the job, and he wants to take it away from her.

That sets the stage for the Aug. 19 primary election. Voters will either affirm her 11 years in office and give her four more, or they’ll replace her with Stevens, who has been a deputy prosecutor since passing the bar two years into Tompkins’ tenure on the bench.

There are arguments for and against both candidates, who present dramatically different experiences and preparation for the job. After weighing the evidence, we return a verdict for Tompkins.

Stevens’ campaign message relies heavily on his experience prosecuting defendants in Tompkins’ court. He describes her as an indecisive jurist whom defense attorneys can intimidate into unsound rulings that he’s had overturned on appeal. He also portrays her as making inefficient use of the court’s and court personnel’s time.

He offers his own work ethic, common sense, organizational skill and knowledge of criminal law, honed in more than 100 jury trials, as a better alternative.

More to the point, he wants his prosecutor’s viewpoint better represented on the bench, and he says other deputy prosecutors and frustrated law enforcement officers urged him to run against her. Stevens is not the first member of the Spokane bar to report disorganization under Tompkins’ gavel, and by her own estimation her success rate on appeal is about 75 percent.

But in the eyes of her colleagues – who would have to pick up the load if she’s a slacker – she has proved herself. Dozens of sitting and past judges endorse her, including six members of the state Supreme Court. The only judicial endorsement claimed by Stevens’ campaign is that of Appeals Court Judge Kevin Korsmo, a former fellow prosecutor, who is endorsing Tompkins, too. Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich and Prosecuting Attorney Steve Tucker also lend their names to Tompkins’ campaign, and she has endorsements from the unions representing sheriff’s deputies and corrections officers, taking much of the air out of Stevens’ contention that Tompkins is in law enforcement’s doghouse.

Perhaps the most striking contrast involves community engagement. Tompkins began practicing law here 24 years ago. She’s also served on the Central Valley School Board, state Transportation Commission, Momentum and a host of other community agencies. As a result, her judicial performance is informed by a deeper understanding of the community where she serves. Meanwhile, she participates in a wide variety of leadership roles with the bench and bar.

Stevens had a hard-knocks upbringing in south Sacramento. He wasn’t much of a student and had his own brushes with the law as a juvenile. That gritty but valuable education molded him into a resilient, dedicated prosecutor with a strong sense of personal accountability. But he concedes he has a lot to learn about civil law, which commands a large portion of the Superior Court docket.

Stevens demonstrates the potential to be a capable judge, but even though Tompkins has areas for improvement, she is already a capable judge, and she offers voters a better choice.