EVERETT — One of Snohomish County’s longest-serving judges plans to retire this spring.
Superior Court Judge Michael Downes wrote Gov. Jay Inslee on Wednesday to announce his decision to retire from the bench on May 31.
Because Downes still has time remaining in his term, it will fall to the governor to name a successor.
Downes was appointed to the court in 2004 after serving more than 21 years as a Snohomish County deputy prosecutor. He handily won election and has faced scant challenge in the years since.
Downes told Inslee that serving as a judge “has been one of the great honors” of his life.
“In nearly 14 years on the bench I have presided over a wide variety of cases involving a wider variety of people. Each day, and in each case, I have done my best to do justice, to keep an open mind, and to be fair,” he said. “I am thankful to the citizens of this great state every day for allowing me to serve them in such an honored capacity.”
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