City of Seattle Mike McGinn, Mayor

Nickels Appoints Edsonya Charles as Municipal Court Judge

SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels today appointed Edsonya Charles to the Seattle Municipal Court Position 2. Charles will fill the position being vacated by Judge Theresa Doyle who was elected to the King County Superior Court in the September 14 primary.

"Edsonya has all the qualities we need in a judge; compassion, intelligence, a sense of fairness,” said Nickels. “I have no doubt that she will be an exceptional member of the court.”

Charles holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University. Charles currently serves as a senior advisor on public safety and human service issues as well as deputy legal counsel to the mayor. Prior to joining the Nickels administration, Charles was a federal prosecutor with an emphasis on economic fraud cases including welfare and Social Security fraud. Charles also practiced land use law with Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson.

“I have known Ms. Charles since she was a law student. I was impressed with her then and continue to be impressed with her after graduation and throughout her career,” said retired Washington Supreme Court Justice Charles Z. Smith. “I began my judicial career with the Seattle Municipal Court. I am confident Ms. Charles possesses, in good measure, all of the qualities we require of judges. I heartily commend her appointment to the Seattle Municipal Court.”

“Edsonya’s qualifications and accomplishments as a lawyer, executive and manager are superior and above reproach,” said Ronald Ward, President of the Washington State Bar Association. “She has excelled in every endeavor she has undertaken and will make an outstanding municipal court judge.”

Before getting her law degree, Charles served as the Executive Director of the Seattle Human Services Coalition and advocacy coordinator for the Effective Advocacy for Citizens with Handicaps in Nashville, Tennessee.

Charles, 42, is a member of the Loren Miller Bar Association of Washington, board member of the Mount Zion Baptist Church and a former board member of the Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

If approved by the City Council, Charles will begin her new position in January, 2005.

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Office of the Mayor

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