Judge Dave Larson (Ret.)

Judge Dave Larson (Ret.) sat down with Katara Johnson of Gabriel's Challenge to talk about compassion and accountability. As Dave puts it, Lady Justice holds the scales, but she also holds a sword, and a good judge knows how to use both. Some people want our courts to be tougher. Some want them softer. Dave says he, “want us to be smarter." Thank you to Gabriel's Challenge for the conversation and for your work fighting fentanyl in our communities. Ballots are due Tuesday, November 3. Vote Judge Dave Larson for Washington Supreme Court, Position 5.

Watch this to see why Dave is fighting so hard for you and for a judiciary that’s free from outside pressure by partisan interests on any side! Special interests cannot own our courts! Save your courts by voting for Dave Larson, Supreme Court, Position 5.

Judge Dave Larson (Ret.) has published an open letter to Washington voters to help you sort through the misinformation in this campaign. A $1.5 million PAC funded by public employee unions and plaintiffs' trial lawyers is flooding your mailbox, phone, and social media feed with misinformation to turn you against Dave. As Dave noted, they're desperate to keep their hold on your courts. The choice could not be clearer: vote for Dave Larson and return your courts to the people, or leave them under the control of narrow special interests. Dave selflessly came out of retirement to support you, while public employee unions, whose members are supposed to serve you, are spending millions in dues against you. Vote for Dave and send them a message: you own the courts, they don't! Their message is that our Supreme Court races are partisan. They aren't. Washington's judicial races are nonpartisan for a reason, and as Dave lays out, the rights this PAC claims are on the ballot simply aren't. Those rights rest on voter-approved initiatives, laws, and precedent, not on any court decision. "Our courts do not belong to partisan interests." Dave spent 18 years on the bench deciding cases by the law, not by who funded his campaign. His letter sets the record straight, and it's worth five minutes before you vote. Read the full letter: larsonforjustice.com/open-le…

This video represents the "why" we all need to vote for Dave Larson. He sees elective office through the lens of duty and responsibility, not through the lens of power and control. A group of high school students once asked Judge Dave Larson when he felt closest to his office. The other elected officials in the room shared moments from their official duties. Dave told them about standing at the back of a line at a chili cook-off, when someone heard him called "Judge" and told him to cut to the front he told them he's just like anyone else: 🌶️"Actually, when I don't have my robe on, I'm like anybody else. I play a role as a judge. It's a responsibility, not a power. I am a servant, not a master."🔥 Don't leave the Supreme Court race blank, vote Dave Larson for position 5!

Paula Sardinas's interview with Dave Larson at the Building Bridges Candidate Forum at Byrd Barr Place in Seattle captures the heart of Dave's vision: what our courts are meant to do, and how they can better serve the people who come through them. His approach is simple: "I run a repair shop, not a junkyard." Dave believes everyone who leaves a courtroom has the potential for a better life. That isn't about warm hugs. It's about expecting people to do better and helping them see a future for themselves that doesn't include crime. His ideas on family law will change lives too. It's well worth the 25 minutes. We need Dave's experience and perspective on the Supreme Court. His opponent has no prior judicial experience.

Judge Larson is endorsed across the political spectrum, but the people who support him do so out of respect for his fierce independence, his character, and his desire to do what is right for all of us. Judge Dave Larson has said it plainly: "It doesn't matter who endorses me. My views are the same. If you think you're going to get a decision out of me because you've endorsed me, don't endorse me." That's the kind of independence Washington deserves on its Supreme Court. Judges should answer to the law and the Constitution, not to the groups that support them or the special interests spending to label them. Ballots are due Tuesday, November 3rd. Please don't leave the Supreme Court race blank. Vote Judge Dave Larson for Supreme Court, Position 5!

This is a follow-up to our earlier post about the Public Disclosure Commission waiving a state law passed by the legislature, a move that lets special interests take the lid off how much they can spend to mislead you. At the time, we didn’t know who requested that waiver. Now we do. SEIU has put a total of $400,000 into a two-pronged attack on the income tax and on our Supreme Court candidates. On October 26, SEIU gave $150,000 to the campaign opposing I-645 (the income tax) and $250,000 to the committee attacking your judicial candidates, Beware the Attack on Our Courts. Under state law, SEIU could only have given $75,000 to each, for a total of $150,000. That’s not a small amount. Instead, the PDC handed Beware the Attack on Our Courts the ability to take an extra $250,000, a windfall granted in violation of state law. Yes, in Washington some people are more equal than others. The Supreme Court candidates targeted by this money can still only collect $2,400 per person, and only through their own committees. The PDC says it made this move in the name of “fairness.” As a reminder, Merriam-Webster defines “fairness” as “the quality or state of being fair” and “lack of favoritism toward one side or another.”

Judge Dave Larson joined John Curley on KIRO Newsradio to talk about this race and why he believes Washington's courts belong to the people, not to the special interests trying to buy this election. The show highlighted Dave's broad support from across the political spectrum and why he is the people's choice for Supreme Court, Position 5. The conversation covered the experience Judge Larson would bring to the Supreme Court: 18 years as a trial judge, 18 years as a mediator and arbitrator, 17 years working with legislators from both parties, and a decade teaching new judges at the judicial college. They also had some fun talking about Dave's life as an NHRA drag racer. Judge Larson also spoke about keeping politics out of judicial races, and about his long-standing proposals for publicly financed judicial elections and mandatory recusal when a campaign donor appears before a judge. On endorsements, his position is simple: "It doesn't matter who endorses me. My views are the same. If you think you're going to get a decision out of me because you've endorsed me, don't endorse me." Don't fall for the propaganda from special interests that want to control our courts. Vote Judge Dave Larson for Supreme Court, Position 5! If you have questions about what special interests are doing, read Dave's Open Letter: larsonforjustice.com/open-le…

Eighteen years on the bench. A record built on fairness, integrity, and service to every Washingtonian. Judge Dave Larson has spent his career working to make our courts work better for the people they serve. He developed innovative strategies that tackle crime at its roots, helped expand jury participation so juries better reflect our communities, and fought to keep our courts independent and neutral, serving everyone, especially our most vulnerable. Now he's ready to bring that record and commitment to the Washington State Supreme Court. Ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. Vote Judge Dave Larson for Supreme Court, Position 5. Learn more: LarsonForJustice.com

Judge Larson is the best qualified candidate by far, but it is his proven leadership that is sorely needed on our state's highest court. HIs tireless work protecting judicial independence across our state helped inspire the formation of the DMCJA Council on Independent Courts, a watchdog group of judges protecting judicial independence in our state. No other candidate can measure up to his commitment to excellence in our justice system. In contrast, his opponent, the governor's April 2026 appointee, has been a longtime campaign contributor to Governor Ferguson and has had no prior judicial experience.

Judge Larson has been a leader in developing strategies that work for addiction and crime in our communities. His motto is: "I run a repair shop, not a junkyard." He sees the courts as a tool for changing lives and improving communities. Let's get him on the Supreme Court so he can help lead us to solutions. Vote for Dave Larson, Supreme Court, Position 5!

FOLLOW THE MONEY! The video says it all. The same people misleading you about Judge Larson and other candidates so they can install their favorite justices are also behind the effort to defeat I-645 (income tax). This group of public employee unions and lawyers has already raised $1,299,412.17, a record sum of money in a judicial race, to spread their lies. Now they want even more, even if they need to violate the law to get it. The same group of public employee unions and some of the same lawyers raised $12,796,413.18 in their campaign to defeat Initiative 645 (income tax). It’s interesting to see that they’re breaking records to stack the court while bankrolling one of the largest NO campaigns this state has seen against the income tax. So, what are they doing? They’re hedging their bets. If they can’t buy a win on I-645 at the ballot box, they want a Supreme Court that will hand them one. Somebody is desperate for a win. Scarier, though, is that someone wants control over your courts.

The forces spreading lies about Judge Larson and other judicial candidates are giving you a front-row seat to what buying a Supreme Court looks like. State law adopted by the legislature, not a rule created by the Public Disclosure Commission, limits large contributions in the final weeks before an election. However, just 9 days before the election, the Public Disclosure Commission chose to ignore that law to allow groups like Beware the Attack on Our Courts to get large checks from donors to flood voters with more misinformation about Dave. It's ironic in a judicial race that the PDC chose to ignore the law. Meanwhile, Dave can't raise a dime himself. He can only raise money through his committee, which can't accept more than $2,400 per person. They should have called it Beware the Attack on the Law. They accuse others of breaking the law while they break it and accuse others of trying to stack the Court when they're the ones trying to stack it. If this PAC accepts contributions in violation of state law, it proves they don't care about the law or the truth, and that they believe they can own our courts. They've already broken spending records because it's that important to them. Judicial races are usually so quiet that voters rarely get a real choice. They never expected anyone to push back, and Dave's open letter exposed their agenda. Somebody is desperate for a win. Every dollar they take outside the law is proof we're making a difference. Read Judge Larson's open letter and share it far and wide. It's the evidence they're hoping their money can drown out: larsonforjustice.com/open-le… They'll outspend us, but we can outwork them — and outnumber them. Money talks, but it doesn't vote. PS: This is the same Public Disclosure Commission that found Judge Larson’s campaign in violation of PDC Rules because his yard sign disclaimers were 0.175” (7/40”) too small. The PDC cared about myopic voters not seeing Dave's disclaimer, but their own vision of the law on funding limitations would be better if they didn't look the other way as the law is violated.

Some endorsements carry extra weight. This one comes from someone who's sat on both sides of the bench and the bill. Retired State Senator Mike Padden served as a Spokane County District Court Judge before he served in Olympia. He's seen what makes a good judge and what makes good law, and he says Dave Larson did both. Dave didn't just talk about fixing our courts. He wrote the bills that did it, and he earned the trust of both parties along the way. Thank you, Senator Padden. Vote Dave Larson for Washington Supreme Court, Position 5. Ballots are due by 8PM on November 3rd

"I'll be a nonpartisan, independent voice who will serve you, not political interests or partisan agendas." That's Judge Dave Larson's promise in his new commercial, and his recent Open Letter to Washington Voters shows he means it. A $1.3 million PAC campaign has been working to turn a nonpartisan judicial race into a partisan one. Judge Larson answered plainly: "Our courts do not belong to partisan interests." He isn't afraid to stand up to powerful interests, and he isn't beholden to any party or special interest. With 41 years of legal experience, he'll bring that independence to the Washington State Supreme Court and help keep our courts true to the promise of government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Watch the ad, then read the letter: larsonforjustice.com/open-le…

Judge Dave Larson (Ret.) spoke with The Center Square about the PAC mailer targeting him and four other independent Supreme Court candidates. "If it was just about me, I'd probably say get thicker skin. But they're trying to attack all five of us." He explained why the mailer's claims don't hold up, and why attacks like this keep qualified people from running for the bench. Washington deserves judicial races decided on experience and integrity, not political maneuvering. larsonforjustice.com/open-le…

The Cascade Party of Washington was formed as a solution to the divided politics that is destroying us. Cascade is an independent state party founded by Krist Novoselic, Nirvana's bassist. The party line is "a bridge to better." Here's what Novoselic said about Dave: "Dave Larson embodies the type of elected official we need in our state right now; trusted, reasoned, calm, smart, and committed to serving people and not ruling people." Not one word about ideology. That's the whole point. Position 5 is a nonpartisan office, and the question isn't which side a justice is on. It's whether the person on the bench can be trusted to serve everyone who comes before them.

Should a court ruling make sense to a fourth grader? Judge Dave Larson thinks so. Judge Larson joined Charlie Harger and Manda Factor on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM to talk about building a better court system and fixing how Washington appoints and elects its judges. He also explains why he calls himself a "common sensualist." Vote Dave Larson for Washington Supreme Court, Position 5. Ballots are due November 3. larsonforjustice.com

Judge Larson met Emerson at the Tacoma Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's Bites and Ballots event in Tacoma. After talking with Dave, Emerson now wants to be a judge and even helped hand out Judge Larson's literature. In his remarks that day, Dave called Emerson the "posterity" the Preamble to the Constitution talks about. We all have a duty to make sure freedom is passed on to future generations, including Emerson's. Vote Dave Larson for Washington Supreme Court, Position 5. Ballots are due November 3. larsonforjustice.com

Judge Larson's commitment to civics education is unmatched. At a judicial forum, he met Libby Myers, an Issaquah civics teacher who'd brought her students along. She was so impressed by how he connected with them that she invited him to her classroom. In the middle of a statewide campaign, Dave made time to visit two of her classes and talk about the fundamentals of freedom and justice and the challenges facing our system of government today. That visit is part of a long record. Dave received the 2024 Judge William Nevins Award for his long-term commitment to civics education and was twice named a "Hero" of Federal Way Schools. He hosted the South King County Mock Trial Competition for 10 years, helped teach Street Law at Todd Beamer High School for 17 years, and ran a student art contest at his court for 16 years. He's still a regular in classrooms throughout South King County. Vote Dave Larson for Washington Supreme Court, Position 5. Ballots are due November 3. larsonforjustice.com