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By Drew Lawson
The Record-Times 

Candidate for District Court Judge: Dan B. Johnson

 

Last updated 7/14/2022 at 8:27am

Dan B. Johnson

DAVENPORT – Dan B. Johnson's one regret is not vying for a seat on the bench sooner. He'd like to make up for that by holding the District Court Judge seat as long as possible, with the 67-year-old having eight more years before he is required to retire.

Johnson, a Minneapolis native, was appointed July 1, 2015 and has since been re-elected twice unopposed.

"I'm not ready to retire yet," Johnson said. "I find the job enjoyable."

Johnson has been involved in law for 42 years, including experience as the deputy prosecutor in Stevens County and as a private lawyer based in Spokane.

His proudest accomplishment came as a Spokane-based lawyer in 2013, when he served as an attorney for Descamps v. United States, a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court requiring clarification for standards for evaluating potential prior offenses under the Armed Career Criminal Act.


The Court ruled in Johnson and Descamp's favor 8-1 in a reversal ruling.

Johnson said he believes District Court is currently "handing matters expeditiously."

"We have good staff that handle everything," Johnson said. "I think things are going pretty efficiently in District Court."

It goes without saying that judges are often tasked with making difficult decisions. When faced with a hard case, Johnson said he tries to research the laws and issues surrounding the proceedings as much as possible prior to taking the bench.

"I do initial legal research to get a basic background on the type of the crime (and) some issues that might come up," Johnson said. "Every trial has its own little twists and turns, and as judge you just need to be able to respond to those twists and turns."

The judge said he investigates ethical rules when deciding whether to recuse himself from a case or not.

"Even if I think I could be fair, if someone were to criticize it, you can recuse," Johnson said. "I don't do it very often, but every once in a while, because it's an imposition on other judges to have to come handle cases here in the county."

Johnson said he tries not to concern himself with public opinions if he makes an unpopular or potentially controversial ruling.

"I haven't had any rulings overturned by any higher courts yet," Johnson said. "I've been elected to make those decisions, and if it's not popular, but it's the correct legal decision, I will make it."

Johnson is running for one of the few nonpartisan races on county ballots this year.

"I think the rulings by a judge should be based on the law and the facts, not any political consideration," he said. "I think that's the intent of it being a nonpartisan position."

He said lawyers would probably categorize him as a stricter judge, but added he tries to look at each case on an individual basis.

Johnson is running unopposed for District Court Judge.

Bio

Position sought: District Court Judge

Age: 67

Hometown: Minneapolis

Current city of residence: Davenport

Relevant experience: Lincoln County District Court Judge, Stevens County Deputy Prosecutor, private attorney practice in Spokane

Author Bio

Drew Lawson, Editor

Author photo

Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.

 

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