Supreme Court Justice Dolliver Won’t Run Again

Supreme Court Justice James Dolliver, who first came to Washington in 1946 as a park ranger and was appointed to the state’s highest court three decades later, said Tuesday he will not seek re-election this year.

Dolliver’s announcement, expected because he will reach the mandatory judicial retirement age of 75 next year, means one of the three Supreme Court seats on the ballot this fall will be vacant.

Justice Barbara Madsen confirmed Tuesday that she will seek re-election, and Justice Richard Sanders has said he will run for a second term.

At least two people said Tuesday they’re gearing up campaigns to run for Dolliver’s seat.

Hugh Spitzer, 48, splits time teaching state constitutional law at the University of Washington and working as a public finance lawyer for a Seattle firm.

Faith Ireland, 55, has been a Superior Court judge in King County for 15 years. She lost a bid for a seat on the Supreme Court to Justice Jerry Alexander in 1994, and said Tuesday she plans to formally announce her candidacy for Dolliver’s seat in another month or so.

Dolliver will be remembered as a respected jurist who fought long odds to return to the bench after being severely debilitated by a stroke in January 1993.

Dolliver, an Iowan who first came to Washington as a ranger at Olympic National Park, worked for U.S. Rep. Jack Westland in the 1950s and served as chief of staff for Gov. Dan Evans from 1965 to 1976. Evans appointed Dolliver to the high court in 1976.

He won re-election in 1980, 1986 and 1992.