We need a conservative judge

News that Rick Strophy was retiring after 23 years as Thurston County Superior Court judge came as a surprise to almost no one.  Strophy has been working as a judge or a prosecutor for most of his life.

But his retirement leaves a major gap in Thurston County justice.  Strophy was one  of a few “conservative” judges on the county bench.  Unswayed by the liberal leanings of Olympia, Strophy was tough and strong when it came to law enforcement and those lawbreakers who came before him received little sympathy.

But Strophy also had a good heart.  It was he who pushed for and was the presiding judge over Drug Court, which has helped many local residents get off and stay off of drugs.

One of Strophy’s most famous cases was in 2000 when he ruled that the Eagles Club in Tenino violated the rights of women by not allowing them to become members. 

Strophy’s retirement leaves only Richard (Cork) Hicks and Gary Tabor as the conservative voices on the county court.  The other judges – – Paula Casey, Tom McPhee, Christine Pomeroy, Chris Wickham and Anne Hirsch have often sided with bigger government and against individual rights.

What’s also significant about the new vacancy is that lawsuits against the State of Washington are often filed in Thurston County and rulings from the Thurston County bench have major statewide significance.

With Strophy going, the liberal big government judges will be in a larger majority.  Lets hope a more “conservative” candidate thows his hat into the ring.