Current Snohomish County District Court Judge Tam Bui – Washington State’s first and only Vietnamese Judge – is seeking a seat in the Court of Appeals, running against opponent Judge Karen Moore to replace the vacancy left by the Honorable Stephen Dwyer.
The Court of Appeals role in the judicial system is to review appeals to lower court’s rulings to see if there is any legal grounds to the challenges. The Court of Appeals Division 1 hears cases from King, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan, and Island counties but Bui’s seat, of which she’s running for, represents Snohomish County.
Bui’s legal career began as an Appellate lawyer for the Washington Appellate Defender’s Association, representing indigent clients and appealing their convictions back in the mid 1990’s.
“It was my first job out of law school, I was really happy and humbled, and the job was awesome,” Judge Bui told the Lynnwood Times. “I’ve always been drawn to the court of appeals.”
One of the big draws to the appellate court, Bui continued, is the intellectualism behind it – reading cases, discerning the law, debating it with your colleagues, and so on.
“It’s a fascinating process and you get to write. You get to write about what the law is, what the law should be, how the law is going to impact people, it’s a real compelling thought process,” said Bui.
When the Washington Appellate Defender’s Association folded Bui relocated to Snohomish County, using her knowledge of the law and representing defense-oriented clients by securing a job with the Snohomish County Public Defender’s Office as a trial attorney.
“I was effective because unlike an Appellate lawyer, as a trial lawyer you think on your feet. It’s the opposite. In thinking on your feet, if you know the law, and know how to apply it, then you’re effective in your argument,” said Bui.
While serving as a public defender, Bui continued to make use of her skills as an appellate attorney, appealing misdemeanor convictions to the Superior Court, as well as maintaining the database for appellate briefs and trial briefs. During this time Judge Bui also had the opportunity to argue two division cases in the court of appeals.
“I was the go-to attorney for appellate questions, so I maintained that aspect of the job. It was the perfect combination,” said Bui. “All of my experience affirms my continuing interest to be an appellate judge.”
Judge Bui worked her way up from public defender to an Administrative Law Judge position, a quasi-judicial position, for four years hearing cases that involve state agencies such as DSHS, employment cases, licensing issues with respect to nursing homes, child support, and so on.
In 2006 Judge Bui ran for Snohomish County District Court Judge, Everett Division, and won. She has served as District Court Judge ever since, leading the creation of Snohomish County’s first ever Mental Health court in 2012.
Judge Bui brings 23+ years of judicial experience to the position. Throughout her tenure she has volunteered her time to teach civics at Jackson High School, served as a Trustee for Snohomish County YMCA and sat on the Board of Snohomish County Legal Services. She has continued to serve as a mentor for high school students, law students, and new judges in addition to teaching new judges at Washington Judicial College.
Bui finds herself in her community frequently, often visiting women’s prisons to give presentations on reentry and practical issues like getting a license back.
Bui also chairs the Court Education Committee, part of the Board of Judicial Administration (BJA) – a governing body that consists of judges from all court levels (i.e. Supreme Court Justices, Appeals Judges, Superior Court, and District Municipal Court). Through this Committee she helps train judges on how to provide access to the court’s for disabled individuals, for example, something she says the legal education system is just recently learning the importance of.
If elected, she plans to leverage this experience to restore trust back into the judicial system.
Judge Bui believes that the justice system should be all inclusive – to maintain the trust and confidence of everyone, whether it be law abiding citizens or citizens who served time reentering society.
“Justice must be all inclusive; It must be for everyone. There are those who are brought into the system who’s underlying causes, or the roots of the issues that led them into the system, cycling over, and over, again, needs to have a different response,” said Bui. “Alternative courts like mental health court, drug court, family court, have the data to prove that it works better than the traditional processing.”
What Bui takes with her to the Court of Appeals is that understanding that these cases have real impacts on people. She wants to extend that understanding to ensure there is a just result – applying the law as written with the understanding that whatever decision an appellate judge makes will be precedential and serve as guidance for future iterations of factual scenarios.
“That’s why diversity is important. We’re not just talking about ethnic diversity, but diversity of experience,” said Judge Bui.
Judge Bui is a Vietnamese immigrant who escaped her home country on April 29, 1975 – the day before the Communists took over the South.
Bui and her family found themselves in Mercer Island, Washington, after immigrating. She now lives in Mukilteo with her husband and two sons.
Bui’s late father served as a Major in the Vietnamese Army and worked the United States military as an intelligence agent. It was him who instilled in Judge Bui the integrity and strength to stand up for “what’s right” – a value that ultimately resulted in her drive to practice law and justice.
“It was that sense for helping others, to do what’s right. Right for others, right for your country,” said Bui.
Judge Bui believes she is the right choice for the Court of Appeals Division 1 Position because she brings with her lived experience rooted in fairness and equitability.
“Experience matters. And that experience is wrapped in fairness and equitable justice. Fairness and equitability are different things. Fairness is a concept, it’s a principle, but equitable is how a judge would carry out that fairness and that’s when that record of experience matters. What I’ve done, what I’ve stood for in terms of access to justice, all of that is incorporated,” said Judge Bui.
When Judge Bui isn’t volunteering, educating, serving time and various boards, and sitting on the bench, she enjoys gardening, learning, and yoga and spending time with her family.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
