Cozza Seeks Seat In Superior Court

Spokane County District Judge Sam Cozza announced Wednesday he is running for Superior Court judge.

Cozza, 41, is seeking the position held by Judge Thomas Merryman, who is not running for re-election this fall after 23 years on the bench.

A graduate of Gonzaga Prep, Gonzaga University and the University of Washington Law School, Cozza has been a District Court judge for the past six years. He was re-elected, without opposition, in 1994.

Before taking a seat on the bench, Cozza had been a Spokane County deputy prosecutor for nine years.

Cozza said he sees a move to Superior Court judge as a “natural progression.”

“There are some big problems there with caseloads and the increase in felony filings,” Cozza said. “We need to get organized and find better ways to deal with that.”

A potential challenger for the vacant seat is Superior Court Commissioner Royce Moe, who ran unsuccessfully for a judgeship against Tari Eitzen in 1994.

Moe, 49, said Wednesday he’ll decide within the next two weeks whether to try again.

Cozza has a wife, Megan, and three children.

, DataTimes