Re: Seattle City Attorney's Office moves to disqualify activist judge from hearing any 'criminal cases moving forward'

On 3/5/24 16:16, Walter Duerson wrote:
> The Seattle City Attorney has issued an Affidavit of Prejudice in an
> attempt to preclude a radical judge from hearing any criminal cases
> brought by the office.
> 

Rather than accepting responsibility, Judge Pooja Vaddadi has decided
to argue and fight.  Will the votes dismiss her next election?

> On Friday, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office (CAO) announced that it will
> file the affidavit of prejudice against Seattle Municipal Court Judge
> Pooja Vaddadi.
> 
> According to the CAO, “An affidavit of prejudice is a preemptory
> disqualification of a judge to hear a case. In this circumstance, the CAO
> has made the decision to preclude Judge Vaddadi from hearing any criminal
> cases brought by the CAO.”
> 
> Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison said in a statement, “Public safety is
> among our highest priorities, and this includes trying cases on behalf of
> those victimized by crime. Unfortunately, we have encountered a regular
> pattern of biased rulings.”
> 
> The decision to issue the affidavit was recommended by CAO Criminal
> Division Chief Natalie Walton-Anderson and approved by Davison.
> 
> Chief Walton-Anderson wrote in a memorandum to the CAO Criminal Division,
> “For the past several months, we have internally discussed the Criminal
> Division’s serious concerns with the conduct and rulings of Judge Pooja
> Vaddadi.”
> 
> “Unfortunately, as outlined below, those concerns have only continued to
> mount in the past several months. As a result, I have made the difficult
> decision that the office will submit affidavits of prejudice for Judge
> Vaddadi on all criminal cases moving forward.”
> 
> Chief Walton-Anderson informed Judge Vaddadi and Presiding Judge Faye
> Chess of the CAO’s decision on Wednesday and outlined key issues from the
> memo alleging that Judge Vaddadi routinely overrules prior findings of
> probable cause by her fellow judges; repeatedly fails to find probable
> cause in situations where, clearly, probable cause exists; makes improper
> rulings related to public safety in domestic violence and DUI cases; and
> frequently makes erroneous evidentiary rulings for unjustified reasons,
> rather than articulating any legal analysis.
> 
> Chief Walton-Anderson wrote in the CAO memo, “Judge Vaddadi routinely
> raises arguments on behalf of defendants without prompting or argument
> from their own attorneys.”
> 
> “The resounding input from attorneys that have appeared in her courtroom
> is that her decisions demonstrate a complete lack of understanding, or
> perhaps even intentional disregard, of the evidence rules, even on basic
> issues.”
> 
> Seattle has been suffering from a so-called “revolving door” justice
> system for years, where prosecutors chose not to prosecute crimes or
> liberal judges chose not to sentence criminals appropriately.
> 
> Davison was elected in 2021 by voters who finally had enough of the
> ongoing chaos in the Emerald City.
> 
> Since then, her office has worked to target prolific offenders in Seattle
> who are responsible for a majority of the crimes.
> 
> On Friday, Davison’s office also announced it was reviewing criminal
> charges against a group of activists who disrupted last week's city
> council meeting demanding the city provide housing for illegal immigrants.
> 
> The announcement was a 180 degree pivot under a new more moderate council
> from the previous radical council that allowed activists to control the
> agenda.
> 
> https://thepostmillennial.com/seattle-city-attorneys-office-moves-to-
> disqualify-activist-judge-from-hearing-any-criminal-cases-moving-
> forward?utm_campaign=64470