Normandy Park Blog

SEATTLE – A Federal Way Municipal Court judge has resigned after hosting a holiday party at which she claimed to be having an affair with a public defender who routinely appeared in her court.

Judge Colleen Hartl quit Dec. 19, less than a week after telling her guests - including five court employees - that she had sex with public defender Sean Cecil, and displaying a text message in which he complimented how she looked in “tight jeans,” Michael Morgan, the court’s presiding judge, said Wednesday.

A news release from the city cited “personal and health” reasons for the resignation.

Cecil, who was admitted to practice law in 2006, was one of three public defenders who regularly handled misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases in Federal Way. On Wednesday, Morgan issued an order barring him from representing poor defendants in the court. Morgan has also filed a complaint against Cecil with the state bar association.

Even after admitting the affair at the Friday night party, Hartl showed up for work the next Monday morning and presided over several cases handled by Cecil, Morgan said. At lunchtime that day, Morgan - who attended the party but left before Hartl’s admission - was advised of the relationship by a court staff member who witnessed the statement. Morgan suggested that Hartl not sit on any cases that afternoon, and she resigned two days later.

Hartl, 46 and married to a lawyer, does not have a listed phone number and could not immediately be reached for comment. Morgan said that Hartl later claimed to have misspoken at the party because she was drunk - contending she did not actually sleep with Cecil, but acknowledged having a relationship.

“In her later disclosures she said she had gone out on a date with him and there had been drinking and flirting and it had been inappropriate,” Morgan said.

Cecil did not immediately return a call seeking comment. He works for the firm of Geiersbach and Kraft in Federal Way, which has a contract to represent indigent defendants there.

Hartl was a Federal Way judge for seven months, beginning last May. She was earning a salary of more than $127,000, according to a story about her resignation in The News Tribune of Tacoma last month. Before that, she became presiding municipal court judge in Des Moines in 2001 and in Normandy Park in 2004. She was admitted to the state bar in 1988.

The duration of the relationship was not immediately clear, but Morgan said Cecil had handled cases at the court longer than Hartl had been on the bench there. Morgan also said he did not know how many cases Cecil handled before the judge.

Federal Way City Attorney Pat Richardson said she did not know when a replacement for Hartl would be named. She said she did not plan to appeal any cases based on the relationship.

“We’re not aware of any cases where the relationship adversely affected the prosecution,” she said.

Morgan said he had known Hartl for at least 18 years, and that Hartl’s daughter had babysat for his daughter.

“Obviously, I was astonished. I had absolutely no idea there was any sort of relationship,” Morgan said. “It’s sad. She’s lived here a long time, and I know how badly she wanted the job.”

SOURCE:

• Seattle P-I

Popularity: 100% [?]

OLYMPIA — A Normandy Park lawmaker wants to extend the state’s smoking ban to inside your car — at least when children are there.

Two bills in the Legislature would make it a traffic infraction to smoke in a car carrying children. House Bill 2519 would outlaw smoking around passengers younger than 18, while Senate Bill 6287 sets the age limit at 13 or younger.

The proposals are aimed at protecting kids from secondhand smoke, which has been linked to asthma, cancer and other ailments.

“I’m not looking for ways to punish people,” said Rep. Shay Schual-Berke, D-Normandy Park, sponsor of the House bill. “I want to address behaviors that address public-health issues.”

Voters approved an initiative in 2006 banning smoking in public places statewide, including bars and restaurants.

If either of the current bills pass, Washington would join California, Arkansas and Louisiana as states that bar smoking in private vehicles carrying children.

Both bills would make the infraction a secondary offense, meaning a law-enforcement officer would have to stop a driver for another infraction, such as speeding, before issuing a smoking citation.

The smoking infractions wouldn’t become part of the driver’s record or be made available to insurance companies or employers.

State law already prohibits foster parents from smoking while a child is in the car.

“It seemed only logical to protect all kids, not just foster kids,” said Sen. Chris Marr, who’s sponsoring the Senate bill.

Both Marr, D-Spokane, and Schual-Berke said they don’t care which of the two bills is successful.

“A kid who is reeking of tobacco and coughing of asthma doesn’t really care if it’s a House bill or a Senate bill,” Schual-Berke said.

The legislation has widespread support, including from the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and American Lung Association. Law-enforcement agencies, state troopers and firefighters also back the bills.

There is little or no opposition from the tobacco industry.

Philip Morris, one of the largest tobacco companies in the country, chose not to oppose the bills.

“Our general position is that we believe that particular care should be exercised when it comes to children, and adults should avoid smoking around them,” said David Sutton, a spokesman for Philip Morris. “It’s really that simple.”

The little opposition that Marr and Schual-Berke said they’ve heard is from within the Legislature. Some lawmakers fear the proposed ban is another extension of the so-called “nanny state,” where government increasingly takes away choice in order to protect its citizens.

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a conservative think tank, doesn’t plan to formally oppose the bills but did mention them in its online blog under a post titled “Stupid Bills: Vol. I.”

“A few people are squeamish towards it, asking, ‘Are we over-legislating?’ ” Marr said. “I understand that, but I raise the standard when it comes to health risks to kids.”

SOURCE:

• The Seattle Times

Popularity: 58% [?]