Joint Asian Judicial Evaluations Committee

The ABAW is a proud member of the Washington State Joint Asian Judicial Evaluations Committee (JAJEC). Created in July 2006 to simplify and streamline the judicial evaluation process, JAJEC includes members from ABAW, the Korean American Bar Association (KABA), the South Asian Bar Association of Washington (SABAW), Filipino Lawyers of Washington (FLOW), Middle Eastern Legal Association of Washington (MELAW), and the Vietnamese American Bar Association (VABAW). Click here to read the JAJEC bylaws, updated as of March 1, 2021. 

The JAJEC was created in part to ensure that judicial candidates are aware of and consider the issues important to the Asian Specialty Bars. All of our ratings are available to the public to educate voters of those candidates who meet the qualifications to serve on the judiciary as defined by the Asian Specialty Bars.

WHO WE EVALUATE
We evaluate individuals seeking either appointment or election to judicial office. We evaluate candidates for a variety of judicial positions, including: municipal and district courts, superior courts, superior court commissioner seats, courts of appeals, and the Washington Supreme Court.

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN
We do NOT endorse candidates for judicial office. Rather, we evaluate candidates by providing the public with our ratings. Candidates may be rated as follows:
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A candidate may be rated exceptionally well qualified (EWQ), well qualified (WQ), qualified (Q), or not qualified (NQ) based on various factors including his or her integrity, fairness, legal ability, and demonstrated commitment to equal justice. The JAJEC Chairs notify the Applicant of the rating within one week by phone or mail. This rating is valid for three years and ratings for candidates actively seeking positions are posted on this website. Although a rating is made public, all information disclosed by the Applicant or the Applicant’s references and all discussions of the Committee are kept confidential.

STEPS TO OBTAIN AN EVALUATION
1. Contact the current Latino Bar Association of Washington (LBAW) JEC Chair, Diego Rondon Ichikawa, at jec@lbaw.org. LBAW JEC and JAJEC coordinate our judicial evaluations each month to simplify scheduling logistics for candidates.

In your e-mail, please:

a. Indicate the position(s) you are seeking; 

b.  Submit a current resume; and

c. Attach an electronic copy (Word format please) of any one of the following judicial questionnaires (along with any supplements, including writing samples):

(i). Washington State Bar Association
(ii). King County Bar Association 
(iii). Governor’s Office Uniform Judicial Evaluation Questionnaire.
If you have more than one of the above, the Uniform Judicial Evaluation Questionnaire is preferred.

2. Once the electronic copy of the application is received, you will be sent a letter via e-mail scheduling the date and time for your interview. You will also receive an electronic copy of the bylaws.

3. Interviews are held once a month on a first-come, first-serve basis. Interviews are scheduled no earlier than three weeks after receipt of the completed application.  All interviews are held during the evening.

It is strongly encouraged that candidates submit their applications for a JAJEC rating several months in advance of the Governor's deadline to ensure sufficient time to schedule an interview and receive a timely rating. However, candidates seeking a rating from JAJEC pursuant to a Notice of Vacancy from the Governor's office must provide the committee chair with their request for rating and their materials at a minimum 30 days before the deadline for submission of the rating to the Governor's Office of General Counsel or one week prior to the deadline for submission of the application to the Governor’s Office, whichever is earlier.

If you have any additional questions about JAJEC's evaluation process, please contact the current JAJEC co-chairs, Alexander Bau (alexbau93@gmail.com) and Francis Pagsanhan (pagsanhan.francis@dorsey.com) of ABAW.

Rating Letters for Judicial Candidates:
Q = Qualified 

WQ = Well qualified

EWQ = Exceptionally well qualified

NR = Not Rated (insufficient info to rate)

NQ = Not Qualified

Current Ratings 2026

Candidate	Position Sought	Rating
Justice Theo Angelis	Washington State Supreme Court	EWQ
Gabriel Rothstein	Seattle Municipal Court	EWQ
Commissioner Haley Sebens	Skagit County Superior Court	EWQ
Colin MacDonald	King County Superior Court	WQ
Marek E. Falk	King County Superior Court	WQ
Taylor Ann Anderson	Benton and Franklin Counties Superior Court	WQ
Laura Yelish	Kitsap County Superior Court	WQ
Judge Neil Horibe	Pierce County District Court	EWQ
Judge Neil Horibe	Tacoma Municipal Court	EWQ
Judge Andre Penalver	Court of Appeals, Division II	EWQ
Jennifer Koo	Kitsap County Superior Court	EWQ
Judge Ketu Shah	Washington State Supreme Court	EWQ
Kelly Buerstette	Walla Walla County Superior Court	WQ
Judge Daniel York	King County Superior Court	EWQ
Chris Petroni	Court of Appeals, Division I	EWQ
R. July Simpson	Pierce County Superior Court	EWQ
R. July Simpson	Pierce County District Court	EWQ
Bret Uhrich	Court of Appeals, Division III	Q
Bret Uhrich	Franklin County Superior Court	Q
Garmon Newsom II	King County Superior Court	WQ
Garmon Newsom II	Seattle Municipal Court	EWQ
Judge Sean P. O'Donnell	Washington State Supreme Court	WQ
Shantrice Anderson	Seattle Municipal Court	EWQ
Judge Catherine McDowall	Seattle Municipal Court	EWQ
Judge Catherine McDowall	King County Superior Court	EWQ
Miles Russell	Pierce County Superior Court	WQ
Chelsea Baldwin	Cowlitz County Superior Court	EWQ
Christy McKinley	Pierce County Superior Court	Q
Judge James Armstrong	Pierce County District Court	EWQ
Judge James Armstrong	Pierce County Superior Court	EWQ
Judge James Armstrong	Pierce County Municipal Court	EWQ
Judge Thomas Webster	Superior Court - Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Stevens Counties	EWQ
John Cummings	Pierce County Superior Court	WQ
Judge Nyjat Rose-Akins	King County District Court	EWQ
Judge Nyjat Rose-Akins	King County Superior Court	WQ
Santiago Viola Villanueva	King County Superior Court	EWQ
Kristine Foerster	Pierce County Superior Court	EWQ

Download the ratings from 2023 and 2024, and 2025.