Judge choices commendable

I applaud Mayor Mary Verner’s selections for the newly created city of Spokane Municipal Court, particularly Brad Chinn and Mary Logan. It is disappointing that Commissioner Chinn’s name was withdrawn at the last minute because of politics as usual on the Spokane City Council.

In the case of Mary Logan, it is my opinion that it may be more advantageous to not have studied at an ABA-accredited law school. Washington is one of the few states to permit graduates of non-ABA-accredited law schools to qualify, on equal footing as ABA law school graduates, for the Washington Bar Exam.

The creation of the city-county court-sharing arrangement, together with the county’s proposed remedy (changing state law during the next legislative session to permit the arrangement) was likely the legal work of graduates of ABA-accredited law schools. Were they better qualified to be the architects of legal infrastructure than a graduate of a non-ABA, though state-accredited, law school qualified to be a municipal court judge? My answer is simply “no.” Congratulations to both Mary Verner and Mary Logan!

Mary E. Harvill

Deer Park