Lowry Taps Kato For Spokane Judgeship

Sat., Dec. 30, 1995

By Dan Hansen danh@spokesman.com

Gov. Mike Lowry on Friday picked Ken Kato, a state Court of Appeals commissioner, to be a Spokane County judge.

Kato, 46, will replace retiring Superior Court Judge Marcus Kelly. He is scheduled to start work Jan. 8, and will have to run for election in September.

“I don’t think the governor could have made a better appointment,” said Court of Appeals Judge John Schultheis, who called Kato “a tremendously capable person.”

The Spokane County Bar Association ranked Kato second among potential candidates for the job. He also ranked high for an opening in 1994.

Lowry spokeswoman Judith Gilmore said it was a tough decision between Kato and the No. 1 ranked candidate, public defender Greg Sypolt.

“It was really hard to overlook (Kato’s) qualifications,” she said.

A Spokane native and father of two, Kato graduated from the University of Washington Law School in 1975.

He was a litigation support attorney for the law firm of Huppin, Ewing and Anderson from 1975 until 1988, when he was appointed court of appeals commissioner.

, DataTimes

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