S-765                 _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5109

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Senators Pullen, Talmadge, Nelson, Niemi, Thorsness and Rinehart

Read first time 1/13/89 and referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

AN ACT Relating to the court of appeals; amending RCW 2.06.020; and adding a new section to chapter 2.06 RCW.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 2, chapter 221, Laws of 1969 ex. sess. as amended by section 1, chapter 49, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. and RCW 2.06.020 are each amended to read as follows:

          The court shall have three divisions, one of which shall be headquartered in Seattle, one of which shall be headquartered in Spokane, and one of which shall be headquartered in Tacoma:

          (1) The first division shall have ((eight)) nine judges from three districts, as follows:

          (a) District 1 shall consist of King county and shall have ((six)) seven judges;

          (b) District 2 shall consist of Snohomish county and shall have one judge; and

          (c) District 3 shall consist of Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom counties and shall have one judge.

          (2) The second division shall have four judges from the following districts:

          (a) District 1 shall consist of Pierce county and shall have two judges;

          (b) District 2 shall consist of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, and Thurston counties and shall have one judge;

          (c) District 3 shall consist of Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties and shall have one judge.

          (3) The third division shall have four judges from the following districts:

          (a) District 1 shall consist of Ferry, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Stevens counties and shall have two judges;

          (b) District 2 shall consist of Adams, Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Walla Walla, and Whitman counties and shall have one judge;

          (c) District 3 shall consist of Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat and Yakima counties and shall have one judge.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 2.06 RCW to read as follows:

          The new judicial position for the first division, district 1, King county created pursuant to the 1989 amendment to RCW 2.06.020 shall become effective January 1, 1990, and shall be filled by gubernatorial appointment.

          The person appointed by the governor shall hold office until the general election to be held in November 1990.  At the general election, the judge appointed shall be entitled to run for a term of six years or until the second Monday in January 1997, and until a successor is elected and qualified.  Thereafter, the judge shall be elected for a term of six years and until a successor is elected and qualified, commencing with the second Monday in January succeeding the election.