Our View: Court of Appeals, Division III, race is no contest

Peering into judicial races can be a difficult task for voters. Which of the candidates with the requisite law degrees and expertise in highly technical matters is the best choice?

Such is not the case in the contest between Kevin Korsmo and Harvey Dunham for state Court of Appeals, Division III.

Korsmo has the experience, having established and supervised the appeals unit for the Spokane County prosecutor’s office from December 1990 until February, when the governor selected him to replace Debra Stephens, who was named to the state Supreme Court.

You name the high-profile case that’s been appealed, and he’s handled it. In fact, he’s managed more than 2,000 appeals and has argued 50 cases before the Supreme Court.

He has the knowledge, having been the go-to attorney for lawyers needing help with complicated issues. As Deputy Prosecuting Attorney David Stevens said when Korsmo was appointed to the bench: “He’s brilliant. It’s a loss for us – and a huge gain for the state.”

Korsmo’s expertise in criminal law sets him up nicely for work at the appeals court, where nearly two-thirds of the cases in 2006 were criminal matters.

He has the respect of the legal community. Korsmo has gained plaudits for his demeanor, evenhandedness and scholarly approach. He has the endorsement of prosecutors and the county’s chief public defender, John Rodgers. He is also supported by a long list of judges and is rated “exceptionally well-qualified” by the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and Washington Women Lawyers.

Dunham isn’t rated by either group, but when county commissioners appointed him to a District Court seat in 2005, he failed to make the Bar Association’s short list.

Then-County Commissioner Phil Harris acknowledged that it was a political appointment based on personal friendship.

Voters turned Dunham out of office in the 2006 primary.

Dunham has no experience with appeals. Nobody in Spokane County has handled more of them than Korsmo.

It’s an easy choice.