H-3701.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2802

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Representatives Lambert, Campbell, Carrell, Benson, Schindler, Cox, Boldt, Mulliken, Delvin, Koster and Wood

Read first time 01/20/2000.  Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Declaring that the legislature believes judges and judicial candidates have a right to freely express their beliefs and opinions.

    AN ACT Relating to the free speech rights of judges and judicial candidates; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature recognizes the right of free speech, especially political speech, as guaranteed under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, section 5 of the Washington state Constitution and that this right extends fully to judges and judicial candidates of our state.

    The legislature further recognizes that judges and judicial candidates may choose to exercise these rights in order to better inform the public as to their judicial philosophy and to educate the people on a wide range of issues important to those who have a civic duty to elect them.

    The legislature hereby declares its belief that judges and judicial candidates have a right to freely express and incorporate their beliefs and opinions in any statement made regarding any campaign or potential campaign for judicial office or any issue pertaining thereto without legal or professional retribution, negative consequence, or penalty to the standing, evaluation, or privilege of the judge or the judicial candidate.

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