Judge Swanberg Must Resign | Swanberg For Judge? Hell No!

News Flash! Swanberg Resigns Ahead of Judicial Commission Hearing

--"Damaged and Disturbed"; Swanberg Matter Appears Before Judicial Conduct Commission

Citizens are concerned

Concerned about harassment of courthouse employees

Concerned about lack of judicial temperament

Wondering whether they'll get a fair trial

Your honor, it's time to resign

[Swanberg's] behavior toward his former girlfriend, Sila Salas, is enough to make citizens question Swanberg’s judgment. Her job is in the Benton County Justice Center where Swanberg also works, and now he is not allowed to be within 25 feet of her workplace. ...[I]t isn’t fair to expect citizens to go before a judge who is under such a heavy cloud of doubt.

Tri-City Herald Editorial Board
This guy is a total piece of... work. He needs to resign immediately and everyone here should demand it. These allegations are far more than anything Sam can overcome to remain a trustworthy Judge. ...

RESIGN immediately Sam Swanberg.

Discussion Boards at Reddit

Social Media Post
Swanberg should have known better than to start a relationship with a subordinate in the workplace. That he continued to confront her at work, overwhelm her with texts, emails and voice messages and ignored her pleas to leave her alone is clearly behavior unbecoming of a judge.

Tri-City Herald Editorial Board
A judge shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary, and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety.

Canon 1, Rule 1.2 "Promoting Confidence in the Judiciary"

Judicial Code of Conduct

A Citizen's Letter to Judge Sam Swanberg

January 14, 2022

As a resident of Benton County, I'm dismayed to learn that embattled Benton-Franklin Superior Court Judge Sam Swanberg is resisting calls to resign.

[For those just catching up, Judge Swanberg is mired in a domestic soap opera. Between the young courthouse employee who was granted a 1-year protective order against his unwanted attentions, the freshly-divorced ex-wife who's shared graphic photos of domestic violence, and his truculent response, he's center of a swirl of controversy in southeastern Washington State.]

Today, our local paper reports that Swanberg refuses to resign, and details his attempts to come out swinging. In trying to kavanagh his way out, Judge Swanberg's forgotten something: nobody has to use him to decide their case.

Parties before the Supreme Court have no alternative, but litigants in Washington state have a fundamental right to disqualify a judge--and the standard is focused on what the litigant believes.

To disqualify a judge, nobody cares about what she said, what he said, or whether Judge Swanberg likes beer. What matters is whether the parties believe he will render a fair verdict. If they do not, disqualification is automatic, and another judge must hear the case.

As a result, Judge Swanberg may hang on to his position, but he won't be able to do his job.

Some cases will vanish from his docket entirely. Family law attorneys will put "recuse Swanberg" at the top of their litigation checklists. Prosecutors won't want fragile assault victims triggered during trial, so many criminal matters will have to be handled in another courtroom. Domestic violence? Ditto.

Even in unrelated civil matters, any party with an abuse history will move to disqualify, as will those who find this spectacle of toxic masculinity damaging to the dignity of the bench and the proper working of jurisprudence in Benton and Franklin Counties.

Judge Swanberg, in this matter, the "truth" will not set you free. You have lost the confidence of the community and can no longer fulfill the duties of your office.

With respect, your honor, it is time to resign.