I have been on the Federal Way Municipal Court bench for one year, and I can say without reservation that this job is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It is truly a blessing to be part of our community’s court system.
That might seem odd in light of recent news stories, but lurid allegations sell papers and the fact that things function well do not. The recent allegations against Judge Michael Morgan are just that – allegations.
I have a personal interest in the safety of court personnel, including myelf, so I would not sugarcoat anything that affected this crucial aspect of court operations and, more important, people’s lives. I am the only person in this entire set of circumstances who talked to everyone involved, conducted an investigation, and concluded that the allegations made about Morgan by a former court employee were not based upon valid concerns.
The police chief’s opinion quoted in The News Tribune was formed at a time when he did not have a full version of events. I conducted an investigation in close cooperation with the city attorney. The allegations were serious enough that I could do no less.
By the way, Morgan voluntarily chose to take time off to allow me to independently investigate this matter, and he cooperated throughout my investigation.
I, and many others, were potentially affected by the care that I took in this case to learn the truth about this employee’s allegations about Morgan. I would have fallen well below all expectations of myself if I were not concerned about the serious nature of these allegations and reacted accordingly.
Facts are the stock and trade of a judge. It is because our rulings and conclusions must be based upon all of the facts, and we cannot afford to make decisions with only one side or part of the story.
Where would our system of justice be if we heard only from one side or if juries read only newspapers, read the Internet or watched the news to make a decision? It is your faith in that very system of justice that I am fighting for now.
The ex-employee’s allegations in this case need to be vetted through the same system of justice that relies upon the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and cannot be tried in the media with mere allegations and counter-allegations.
I am grateful to be part of a system of justice that aspires to hear all sides before coming to a conclusion. We would be much better off if other institutions did the same. The truth does still matter.
The people of Federal Way have much to be proud of in our local court, but there are still areas that could be improved too. However, there are those people who cannot see the good; they want only to focus on the bad. I cannot help that, but I can assure you that the citizens of Federal Way are well served by our court.
I cannot in good conscience sit by and watch the media mugging of any person, let alone an elected judge, and do nothing. I was appointed as a judge in part because of my sense of justice and I hope by coming forward now that I have lived up to that aspiration.
David A. Larson is a Federal Way municipal court judge. He was a trial lawyer for 23 years and served as the first chairman of the city’s board of ethics.
