Spokane County District Court Judge, Position 2
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Sara B. Derr | 66,889 | 57.27% |
| Chris Bugbee | 49,906 | 42.73% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About The Race
Longtime incumbent Judge Sara Derr is being challenged by Chris Bugbee, a former deputy prosecutor now known for his work as a criminal defense attorney. Bugbee points to criticisms about the court in a 2013 “Blueprint for Reform” by the Spokane Regional Criminal Justice Commission and says it’s time for a change on the bench. Derr said the criticisms are unfounded opinions and that judges have enacted many reforms in recent years.
The Candidates
Sara B. Derr
- Age:
- 72
- City:
- Spokane, WA
- Occupation:
- District Court judge
Education: Earned bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Washington State University. Earned law degree from Gonzaga University in 1983.
Work experience: Worked in private practice with her mother, Antoinette Derr, for 12 years handling civil cases. Served as Spokane County District Court judge pro-tem for four years before being elected judge in 1994.
Political experience: Elected district court judge every four years since 1994.
Family: Single.
Chris Bugbee
- Age:
- 56
- City:
- Spokane, WA
- Occupation:
- Attorney
Education: Earned bachelor’s degree in English literature from University of California at Irvine in 1992. Earned law degree from the University of the Pacific-Sacramento School of Law in 1995.
Work experience: He worked as a Spokane County deputy prosecuting attorney from 1996 to 2002, when he went into private practice as a defense attorney. He has been licensed to practice law in Idaho since 2002.
Political experience: Ran for Spokane County prosecutor in 2010.
Family: Married. Has two daughters and a son.
Complete Coverage
Ex-prosecutor won’t do jail time
A former prosecutor who helped a criminal evade police will not have to go to jail after pleading guilty, paying a fine and doing community service work. Marriya Wright worked as a deputy Spokane County prosecutor when she helped convicted felon Matthew Baumrucker last March as he tried to avoid arrest for assault. She gave Baumrucker a ride to Spokane Valley when police were searching for him.
Spokane County District Court candidates list issues
For attorney Chris Bugbee, the race for a Spokane County District Court judgeship is all about a 2013 report that suggested dozens of changes needed to be made to bring greater efficiency to the local criminal justice system. The report from the three-member Spokane Regional Criminal Justice Commission was critical of the District Court, saying it “lacked cohesion” and has been “unwilling to embrace needed reform.” It also said the court was “unconcerned with the costs of jail sentences and detention before trials and detention hearings.”