Tag: county courthouse

By Caleb Hutton

Deborra Garrett will be sworn in as the next Whatcom County Superior Court judge at a courthouse ceremony at 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11.

Garrett, a veteran lawyer who was president of the local bar association, edged out District Court Judge Dave Grant in the November 2012 general election, winning 52.6 percent of the vote.

She’ll be the first woman in Whatcom County elected to serve on the Superior Court bench. Garrett replaces retiring Judge Steven Mura. (Trivia: Garrett ran for Superior Court judge two decades ago but narrowly lost to Mura.)

Here’s the press release from Garrett’s team.

Deborra Garrett will be sworn in as Whatcom County Superior Court Judge on Friday afternoon, January 11, 2013, at 3 pm, in the Council Chambers at the County Courthouse, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham. She will be the first woman to serve on the Whatcom County Superior Court bench.

County voters elected incoming Judge Garrett to this open position in the general election last November. Current Superior Court Judges Ira Uhrig and Chuck Snyder will participate in the ceremony. Washington State Appellate Court Judge Mary Kay Becker, a long-time friend and resident of Whatcom County, will perform the swearing in. The public event will be followed by a reception, sponsored by the Whatcom County Bar Association, in the courthouse rotunda.

Deborra Garrett has been a member of the Bellingham and Lynden firm of ZenderThurston since 1993. Before that time she practiced law with the firm that is now Raas Johnsen & Stuen. She has been active in community service her entire professional life, including pro bono assistance to Womencare Shelter and the YWCA, and to low income people through LAW Advocates. She has just stepped down as Whatcom County Bar President and has been active on state and local committees to improve the administration of justice. She will begin her official duties on Monday, January 14, 2013.