Spokane voters return trio of municipal court judges to bench

Early results show that all three incumbents seeking to serve on the Spokane Municipal Court appear to have been elected to another term on the bench.

Tuesday’s election was largely a formality for Judge Kristin O’Sullivan, who ran for re-election unopposed. Her seatmates, Judges Mary Logan and Gloria Ochoa Bruck, find themselves comfortably ahead in the initial election results.

Logan received 60.8% of the vote, while challenger Lynden P. Smithson received 38.8%.

Among the issues in the race was Logan’s role overseeing the city’s community court, and whether the system provides enough accountability. While the court largely focuses on nonviolent “quality of life” crimes, it has received pushback from some, including in the business community, who say it has done little to reduce recidivism downtown.

Logan had the endorsements of more than 100 judges, including two sitting state Supreme Court justices and local officials including Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown and state Sen. Marcus Riccelli.

Logan has sat on the bench since 2009. This year’s challenge was the first one she faced.

Ochoa-Bruck garnered an even higher vote share, bringing in 73.7% of the vote to Sarah Freedman’s 25.5%. Ochoa-Bruck was first elected to the bench in 2021, and voters appear to have sent her back for another four-year term.

Ochoa-Bruck previously served on the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs from 2012 to 2017 and the Washington State Joint Legislative Task Force on Policing Standards from 2016 to 2017.

As she ran for re-election, Ochoa-Bruck had endorsements from judges across the state, including a sitting State Supreme Court Justice.