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Family Court Calendar Changes: January 29 and 31, 2020

Wednesday 1/29/20 – Comm. Alexandrea Schodowski Presiding (Comm. Mack out)
(Juvenile Facility)
8:15 – CHINS/YAR
9:00 – Dependency

(Family Court)
1:00 – Civil Ex Parte/Juvenile Ex Parte
1:30 – LIFT Court Staffing
3:00 – LIFT Court

Friday, 1/31/20 (Family Court) – Comm. Alexandrea Schodowski Presiding (Comm. Mack out)
8:45 – Adoptions
9:00 – Domestic Calendar
1:00 – Civil/Juvenile Ex Parte
1:15 – DV Calendar
2:30 – Child Support

By Lacey Fors
Superior Court Administrator
Clallam County Superior Court

Calendar Changes: Friday, January 3, 2020, Family Court

Please note the following calendar changes for Friday, January 3, 2020, regarding Family Court to be heard in Superior Court:

Judge Coughenour – Courtroom 18

8:45/9:00 Civil/Adoptions and Family Court
1:00 Criminal Ex Parte
1:30 Criminal Calendar

Judge Erickson – Courtroom 2

9:00 Criminal Calendar
1:00 Civil/Juvenile Ex Parte
1:15 DV Calendar
1:30 Civil Calendar
2:30 Child Support Calendar

By Lacey Fors
Superior Court Administrator

Dependency court scheduling change

In an effort to make the Wednesday morning dependency calendar more efficient for very brief hearings, Commissioner Brandon Mack will test out a new schedule with two calendars. The 9:00 a.m. calendar will include hearings that tend to be shorter. These will include first set fact findings, shelter care hearings, status hearings, and motions that are likely to be agreed by all parties. The second calendar will start at 9:30 a.m. and is intended to include review hearings, permanency planning hearings, and contested motions.

The new calendar system will go into effect on April 1, 2020, for a several month trial period.

This suggestion comes from participants of the quarterly court improvement meetings who suggested trying a divided calendar to solve the problem of parties waiting around for hours on a Wednesday morning just to have a simple 5 minute hearing.

Youth-at-risk/chins calendar will remain at 8:15.

2020 Friday Visiting Judge Trade Dates Scheduled

Superior Court has scheduled some Friday Visiting Judge trades with Jefferson County through May 2020.  The trade dates are as follows:

January 24th – Judge Basden Travels

February 21st – Judge Coughenour Travels

March 20th – Judge Erickson Travels

April 17th – Judge Basden Travels

May 8th – Judge Coughenour Travels

Bill Knebes is pro tem commissioner August 2, 2019

William G. Knebes will sit as pro tem commissioner in the Clallam County Superior Court Family Court on August 2, 2019. Mr. Knebes retired as as Commissioner in the Family Court, and he continues to serve as a private mediator. Mr. Knebes was awarded Jurist of the year during his term as Family Court Commissioner.

WA Supreme Court to hold court in Port Townsend

The Washington State Supreme Court will hear cases, meet the public, and visit schools on May 13 and 14, 2019. On Monday, May 13, 2019, the nine justices of the Supreme Court will host a public forum to answer questions from the audience, starting 3:00 p.m. at the Port Townsend City Hall, 250 Madison Street.

There will be a CLE for attorneys from 1:30-2:30 with Justices Debra Stephens and Sheryl Gordon McCloud. The Clallam-Jefferson Pro Bono Lawyers is organizing and hosting this part of the event. Contact Shauna Rogers McClain for more information, 360-504-2422.

There will also be a social from 5-6:30 p.m. A link for registration and location information is below.

On Tuesday, May 14, 2019, the justices will hold court and hear three cases beginning at 9:00 a.m.

No. 96313-4, State of Washington v. Frank A. Wallmuller: Whether a community custody condition prohibiting the convicted defendant from frequenting “places where children congregate such as parks, video arcades, campgrounds, and shopping malls” is unconstitutionally vague.

No. 96262-6, Freedom Foundation v. Service Employees International Union Local 925: Whether email messages kept on a public university’s email system consisting of exchanges between university employees and a private labor union concerning unionization efforts are public records subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act, chapter 42.56 RCW. Note: Attorney Jacob Fox Metzger, is a graduate of Port Townsend High School.

The court will reconvene at 1:30 p.m. to hear the last case of the day:

No. 96660-5, Mark Elster and Sarah Pynchon v. City of Seattle: Whether the city of Seattle’s campaign voucher program, which levies a property tax to fund vouchers that city residents can use to support political candidates, violates First Amendment principles.

There is no charge for any of these events. More information and to register for the Tuesday social:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/get-to-know-washingtons-supreme-court-justices-tickets-60889640554

Swearing In Ceremony for Lauren Erickson

Lauren M. Erickson will be sworn in as the newest Clallam County Superior Court Judge on Monday, February 4, 2019, at 11:30 a.m.   The public is invited to the ceremony which will be held at the courthouse in Port Angeles.  

Erickson grew up in Seattle and graduated from Roosevelt High School.  After graduating from the University of Washington and Seattle University Law School, she worked as a Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for 12 years and most recently in private practice in Port Angeles and as an Administrative Law judge.

Lauren Erickson appointed to Superior Court

Lauren Erickson has been appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee to the Clallam County Superior Court. She fills the vacancy created by Judge Erik Rohrer who will resign his position on January 14, 2019 as he changes to serve as judge for Clallam County District Court II.

Ms. Erickson will be the first female Superior Court judge in Clallam County. The only other female judge in Clallam County was Susan Owens who served as judge for Clallam County District Court II. Susan Owens went on to become a Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court.

Ms. Erickson was admitted to practice law in Washington in 1990. She has a wide range of experience. For the last 10 years, Ms. Erickson has operated a solo practice in Port Angeles representing parents in dependency matters, and served as an administrative law judge pro tem in the Office of Administrative Hearings. She also works as a Hearing Examiner for both the cities of Port Angeles and Bellevue and as a presiding officer for the Washington Health Benefit Exchange.

Before that, Ms. Erickson served as a Clallam County District Court Commissioner and Judge Pro Tem as well as a deputy prosecuting attorney in both Clallam and Kitsap County.

“Lauren has a wealth of experience in both civil and criminal law, and in addition to serving as an advocate, she has built a strong track record as a neutral decision maker. Her vast experience will be an asset to the court and people of Clallam County.” Gov. Jay Inslee, https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-appoints-lauren-erickson-clallam-county-superior-court

Erickson earned her law degree from Seattle University and bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. She served on the Port Angeles City Council from 2000 to 2006.

David H. Neupert Swearing in ceremony Jan 11, 2019

David H. Neupert will be sworn in as Clallam County District Court judge at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, January 11, 2019, at the historic courtroom in the old court house, 223 E. 4th Street (entry from new court house building or from Lincoln Street entrance). Mr. Neupert won the Novebmer 2018 election for the District Court I position.

Mr. Neupert was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 1987. He served as the director of the Clallam-Jefferson Public Defender, was a member of the Platt Irwin Law Firm, and most recently has been representing the Peninsula Housing Authority.