What recourse does a citizen have if he or she believes a judge is acting illegally or unethically? In Washington, our state constitution has established the Washington Commission on Judicial Conduct for dealing with such complaints and for ensuring public confidence in the competence and integrity of our judicial system.
The May 23 meeting of the Columbia Basin Badger Club will explore how this commission performs its duties. The forum will feature J. Reiko Callner, Executive Director of the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and Walla Walla District Court Judge, Kristian Hedine, an Alternate Judge Member of the Commission.
J. REIKO CALLNER is the Executive Director of the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct. She previously served the agency as its senior investigator. Ms. Callner is a board member emeritus of the national Association of Judicial Disciplinary Counsel and is past Chair of the Washington State Human Rights Commission. Ms. Callner worked as a prosecutor for ten years and has represented Child Protective Services. She has taught for the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and has made presentations to a wide variety of public agencies and private organizations. She has trained internationally on judicial ethics for multiple foreign governments. She is a board member of the Olympia Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League and active in other civil rights and cultural volunteer activities. Ms. Callner has an undergraduate degree from Oberlin College and a J.D. from the University of Washington. She was a law clerk for former State Supreme Court Justice Robert Utter.