Dave Larson

Dave Larson called the Washington Supreme Court's Blake drug-possession ruling ideologically motivated. Although he personally opposed strict liability, he said changing that policy belonged to the Legislature and that a court should apply existing law while inviting legislative reconsideration rather than create arguments not raised by the parties.

June 25, 2026Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson opposed a proposed Washington Supreme Court rule that he said would make warrants difficult to issue after criminal defendants miss court and would restrict bail in many misdemeanor cases. He argued the proposal would weaken attendance, accountability, court credibility, and public safety while existing practices could protect people with legitimate absences.

June 25, 2026Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson described his Federal Way court as a 'repair shop, not a junkyard,' saying punishment remained available but courts should be ready with behavioral-health and addiction services when a defendant was ready to change.

October 14, 2024Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: kuow.org · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson told Cascade PBS that courts should prioritize therapeutic approaches that address why people commit crimes and resolve underlying issues rather than rely on a solely punitive system. He connected that position to his work on the District and Municipal Court Judges Association Therapeutic Courts Committee.

July 10, 2024Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: cascadepbs.org · researched July 13, 2026

A probation-coordination proposal Dave Larson wrote in 2017 led to substitute House Bill 1294, which became effective in 2021. The law authorized limited-jurisdiction courts to share pretrial and post-judgment probation supervision so defendants with cases in multiple courts could report to one probation department under an interlocal agreement.

July 25, 2021Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: app.leg.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson described his Federal Way court as a 'repair shop, not a junkyard,' saying punishment remained available but courts should be ready with behavioral-health and addiction services when a defendant was ready to change.

October 14, 2024Supports Civil Rights

Source: kuow.org · researched July 13, 2026

A 2026 Federal Way Mirror investigation reported that roughly 800 invalid drug-possession cases had not been proactively processed during Dave Larson's tenure and that 2022 reimbursement funds went unused. Larson said he regarded motions and the Blake decision's application as prosecutorial matters and sought to preserve separation between prosecution and judging; his successor called his approach legally legitimate while choosing to process the backlog.

May 8, 2026

Source: federalwaymirror.com · researched July 13, 2026

During his 2024 Supreme Court campaign, Dave Larson called Washington's COVID-era vaccine mandate for state employees illegal and criticized the state Supreme Court decisions invalidating the drug-possession law and upholding the capital-gains tax, arguing that judges undermine the political process when personal views drive legal change.

October 14, 2024

Source: kuow.org · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson received the Washington Judges' Foundation Judge William Nevins Award for long-term work in youth civic education and public understanding of courts; the award citation called him a pioneer in youth education and public legal understanding.

October 10, 2014

Source: federalwaymirror.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson said judges who donated to partisan officials should not sit on matters involving those officials or laws they adopted, and criticized current recusal rules for initially leaving objection to opposing counsel and the challenged justice's discretion.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Impartiality

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson said judges should not publicly prejudge future cases because doing so demonstrates bias before hearing the arguments. He described courts as a stabilizing third branch that should deliver community justice rather than become absorbed by rules and systems.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Impartiality

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson argued that Washington's gubernatorial judicial-appointment system lacks sufficient public confirmation and gives uncontested appointees an incumbency advantage. He identified Senate confirmation, another confirmation mechanism, or a safeguard against appointing close political associates as possible structural responses.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Impartiality

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson criticized the appointment of judicial candidates who had contributed to the appointing governor or legislators whose laws could come before the court. Referring to Theo Angelis's prior donations, Larson described the situation as an appearance and judicial-independence concern while also calling Angelis a decent person.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Impartiality

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson said both federal and Washington judiciaries had become political and questioned whether a litigant could trust decisions to rest on law and the Constitution rather than a political or personal agenda. He distinguished that institutional criticism from personal dislike of the justices.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Impartiality

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Announcing his retirement from Federal Way Municipal Court, Dave Larson declined to endorse either candidate seeking to replace him. He said using the power of a judicial position to influence that election would improperly sway voters' consciences.

October 16, 2025Favorable on Impartiality

Source: federalwaymirror.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson called the Washington Supreme Court's Blake drug-possession ruling ideologically motivated. Although he personally opposed strict liability, he said changing that policy belonged to the Legislature and that a court should apply existing law while inviting legislative reconsideration rather than create arguments not raised by the parties.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson criticized new public-defense caseload standards as an incomplete response that could worsen attorney shortages and local budget pressures. He identified unified training and support, not caseload numbers alone, as necessary to reduce burnout and sustain representation.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson emphasized that the Supreme Court reviews trial judges and creates rules governing evidence, preparation, and court operations. He argued that his trial-judge and court-management experience exposed operational consequences that appellate rulemaking can otherwise miss.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson criticized courts that prioritize rules and systems over the justice communities need, describing the judiciary's role as solving problems and keeping the peace while applying law through institutions accountable for their real-world effects.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

Dave Larson opposed a proposed Washington Supreme Court rule that he said would make warrants difficult to issue after criminal defendants miss court and would restrict bail in many misdemeanor cases. He argued the proposal would weaken attendance, accountability, court credibility, and public safety while existing practices could protect people with legitimate absences.

June 25, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: everettpost.com · researched July 13, 2026

A probation-coordination proposal Dave Larson wrote in 2017 led to substitute House Bill 1294, which became effective in 2021. The law authorized limited-jurisdiction courts to share pretrial and post-judgment probation supervision so defendants with cases in multiple courts could report to one probation department under an interlocal agreement.

July 25, 2021Favorable on Legal Competence

Source: app.leg.wa.gov · researched July 13, 2026