Hoquiam Municipal Court, Washington

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The Hoquiam Municipal Court resides in Washington. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...

* Jurisdiction
* Selection method

## Contents

* 1 Jurisdiction
* 2 Selection method
* 2.1 Judicial elections in Washington
* 2.2 Primary election
* 2.3 General election
* 3 See also
* 4 External links
* 5 Footnotes

## Jurisdiction[edit]

This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]

“  | Courts of limited jurisdiction include district and municipal courts. District courts are county courts and serve defined territories, both incorporated and unincorporated, within the counties. Municipal courts are those created by cities and towns.

More than two million cases are filed annually in district and municipal courts. Excluding parking infractions, seven out of every eight cases filed in all state courts are filed at this level. This is due primarily to the broad jurisdiction these courts have over traffic violations and misdemeanors. ...

Violations of municipal or city ordinances are heard in municipal courts. A municipal court's authority over these ordinance violations is similar to the authority that district courts have over state law violations. The ordinance violation must have occurred within the boundaries of the municipality. Like district courts, municipal courts only have jurisdiction over gross misdemeanors, misdemeanors and infractions. Municipal courts do not accept civil or small claims cases. As with district courts, municipal courts can issue domestic violence protection orders and no-contact orders. A municipal court can issue antiharassment protection orders upon adoption of a local court rule establishing that process.[2]

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## Selection method[edit]

See also: Judicial selection in the states

See also: Nonpartisan election of judges

Judges of the municipal courts are chosen either in nonpartisan elections or by appointment. They serve two-year terms, after which they face either re-election or reappointment.[3][4]

Qualifications
To serve on a district court, a judge must be:[4]

* a U.S. citizen and state resident;
* licensed to practice in the state (except in municipalities of more than 5000 people); and
* under the age of 75.*

*No judge is eligible to run for office after attaining the age of 75. If a sitting judge turns 75 while serving, he or she may continue serving until the end of that calendar year.[5]

### Judicial elections in Washington[edit]

See also: Washington judicial elections

Washington is one of 10 states that uses nonpartisan elections to select judges and does not use retention elections for subsequent terms. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.

### Primary election[edit]

Primaries are held only if more than two candidates file for a position. These contests are nonpartisan in nature.[6] The two candidates who receive the greatest number of votes in the primary advance to the general election. Until 2013, a candidate who won over 50 percent of the vote in the primary was then unopposed in the general election. But the law was amended in 2013. Since that amendment, the top two finishers in a judicial primary must advance to compete with each other in the general election.[7][8][9]

### General election[edit]

In counties with a population greater than 100,000, if only one superior court candidate files for election for a judgeship, that candidate is automatically elected and the county does not hold a general election for the seat.[10] According to the 2010 census, the following counties had populations greater than 100,000:[11]

* Benton
* Clark
* Cowlitz
* King
* Kitsap
* Pierce
* Skagit
* Snohomish
* Spokane
* Thurston
* Whatcom
* Yakima

## See also[edit]

Local Courts

* Trial courts and judges
* Local court elections
* Ballotpedia's coverage scope

Other Washington Courts

* Washington federal courts
* Courts in Washington
* Judicial selection in Washington
* Judicial selection in the states

Elections

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## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic
* Washington courts

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Washington Courts, "Courts of Limited Jurisdiction," accessed May 23, 2023
2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
3. ↑ Washington Courts, "A Citizen's Guide to Washington Courts, Eleventh Edition," 2008
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Washington; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 3, 2014
5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `const`
6. ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.52.220," accessed April 30, 2014
7. ↑ Washington State Legislature, "RCW 29A.36.170," accessed April 30, 2014
8. ↑ Washington Courts, "Judicial Election Information," July 13, 2012
9. ↑ Washington Courts, "2013 Legislative Summary," accessed July 26, 2016
10. ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Judicial Elections in Washington State," accessed April 30, 2014
11. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Washington: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013," accessed July 24, 2014

Washington courts

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Federal courts:

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Washington, Western District of Washington

State courts:

Washington Supreme Court • Washington Court of Appeals • Washington Superior Court • Washington District Courts • Washington Municipal Courts

State resources:

Courts in Washington • Washington judicial elections • Judicial selection in Washington

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