Superior Court Judge, position 10
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Linda Tompkins | 109,049 | 60.88% |
| Ward Andrews | 70,071 | 39.12% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About The Race
Judge Linda Tompkins has served on the Superior Court since her appointment in 1997. Her challenger, Ward Andrews, is a civil attorney.
Tompkins said she’s proud of her work presiding over the county’s alternative drug court. It taught her, she said, the value of innovative alternatives to jail. More recently, she ruled that the Spokane County Club was discriminating against women by restricting them from certain tee times. She served on the Spokane Regional Law and Justice council’s racial equity committee.
Andrews said he’d like to see the court continue to work on finding alternatives to incarceration for people with addiction issues and mental illness to save money and free up court time for civil cases.
Tompkins is endorsed by most other Superior Court judges, as well as city prosecutor Justin Bingham and assistant city public defender Francis Adewale.
Andrews has received a $250 contribution from the Spokane Police Guild and is endorsed by Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, Yakima County Prosecutor Joseph Brusic, Lincoln County Prosecutor Jeff Barkdull, Spokane criminal defense attorney Rob Cossey and a number of other lawyers and politicians.
Andrews did not seek a rating from the Spokane County Bar Association for the election, saying he’d prefer to let the voters decide how qualified he is. Tompkins was rated well-qualified.
The Candidates
Linda Tompkins
- Age:
- 72
- City:
- Liberty Lake, WA
Education: Graduated Bonners Ferry High School 1970. BA in Political Science from the University of Idaho, 1974. JD from Gonzaga Law School, 1983.
Professional experience: Appointed to Spokane County Superior Court in 1997 and re-elected for every term since. Has served as drug court, presiding, family law and trial judge. Worked as a clerk in the Washington Court of Appeals Division III, 1983- 87, and as a lawyer at Lukins & Annis from 1987-97 handling family law, appellate, employment and business cases.
Political experience: Served on Central Valley school board from 1983-95. Served on governor’s transportation commission from 1993-97. In 2008 judicial election she defeated challenger David Stevens with 71 percent of the vote.
Family: Married. Has two grown children.
Ward Andrews
- Age:
- 64
- City:
- Spokane, WA
Education: Graduated Sumner High School in Sumner, Washington, in 1978. Earned bachelor’s in political science from the University of Washington in 1983 and law degree from Gonzaga Law School in 1986.
Work experience: Clerked in Snohomish County Superior Court for several years out of law school before working in a private practice in Everet. Has worked as an attorney for Farmer’s Insurance for about 12 years.
Political experience: Unsuccessfully applied for appointment to the Spokane County Superior Court last fall when Judge Kathleen O’Connor retired.
Family: Married. Has seven children.
Complete Coverage
Spokane County Superior Court may have new judge
Early election results Tuesday night showed Judge Greg Sypolt, who’s been in office since 1996, losing to challenger Tim Fennessy, a civil attorney. Judge Linda Tompkins held on to her seat by a comfortable margin against challenger Ward Andrews.
In race for Spokane County judge, Linda Tompkins cites experience, challenger Ward Andrews points to obscure report
An attorney challenging an incumbent judge in the November election is highlighting an obscure 2015 report showing how often attorneys request different judges to hear their cases. Civil attorney Ward Andrews is vying for the position held by Superior Court Judge Linda Tompkins. Since her appointment in 1997 voters have given her several terms on the bench, usually in unopposed elections.