To the Editor:
There was an excellent and well-attended panel discussion featuring local Superior Court Judge Lee Grochmal, Chief Washington State Appellate Court Justice Cecily Hazelrigg and Chief Washington State Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud at Syre Hall at Whatcom Community College on Saturday morning, talking about the pressures, the day-to-day responsibilities and the separate roles branch of the judiciary plays in our system of justice.
The event, hosted by the Bellingham/Whatcom League of Women Voters and led by two prominent local attorneys gave attendees a real look at what many take for granted and few understand in detail.
The event comes at a time when the State Supreme court has five seats up for election in the coming midterms, and some in Appellate Court. Though it was not a political event, League of Women Voters events are nonpartisan and meant to educate rather than sway voters; most candidates from around the state were in attendance.
One discussion of note was the increasing volume of personal and serious threats made against members of the judiciary. Chief Justice McCloud spoke of a serious threat made by mail just a day before after the State Supreme Court made a ruling that angered members of Let’s Go Washington who wrote and supported the now defunct Initiative 2066.
I appreciate groups like the LWV and City Club who both help keep us informed and with good perspectives.
—Michael Waite, Sedro Woolley; Sept. 21, 2026