Print
Email Story
The race to replace longtime Superior Court Judge Dennis Yule pits a criminal defense attorney against a civil lawyer.
The key question through the campaign has been whose day-to-day job better prepares them for the demands of today's judicial system.
Both Sal Mendoza Jr. and Bruce Spanner tout their work and life experiences as the reason they should be the next to wear a black robe.
Spanner says over 70 percent of cases filed in Benton County are civil, while Mendoza counters that 80 percent of the cases that actually go to trial before a judge are criminal.
Now it's up to Tri-City voters to judge who they believe should take over the Benton-Franklin Superior Court bench.
Mendoza and Spanner advanced to the general election after beating out a third candidate, Superior Court Commissioner Jerri Potts, in the August primary.
Spanner received about 3,100 more votes than Mendoza in the primary.
Mendoza, who dreams of becoming the first Latino judge in the bicounty system, has been practicing law for 11 years. His main focus has been indigent criminal defendants in Benton County.
"I treat everybody who comes into my courtroom with respect," said Mendoza, who has served as a pro-tem judge in juvenile, municipal, district and superior courts.
Spanner, who says he has a "heart of service" with a long list of volunteer work, is a 24-year veteran in the legal field. He specializes in civil matters, like real estate, product liability, accidents and antitrust issues.
"Service is me. Service is what I do, and I really believe that a judge first and foremost has to be a servant," Spanner said.
Yule, the court's most veteran judge, announced in April that he would not be seeking a sixth term. The 65-year-old is retiring in December after 22 years.
A Superior Court term lasts four years.
Mendoza made the switch to private practice after spending one year as an assistant attorney general and one year as a deputy prosecutor in Franklin County. In addition to his contract cases with Benton County, he handles landlord/tenant law, divorces, contract disputes and civil matters.
A 1990 graduate of Prosser High School, Mendoza has said that his work in the courtroom and on the farm has given him a better perspective of the community's needs and the diverse issues in the judicial system.
He has fought for equal access to justice on the Benton-Franklin Legal Aid Society board, and helped apply for a grant to pay for juvenile drug court and served as a defense attorney in the program's early days.
Mendoza says he is the "best fit for the community" and the "best qualified candidate" who has been working to improve the system and is prepared for the challenges ahead.
Mendoza and his wife Mia live in Kennewick with their two sons. Mia Mendoza also is a lawyer.
Spanner is a partner in the Kennewick law firm of Miller, Mertens, Spanner and Comfort, where he's "made it a career out of learning, mastering substantive areas of law." He's confident he can quickly learn criminal law and determining whether they "have the evidence or don't," he said.
He also has worked as a judge pro-tem in district and superior courts, and believes in treating all cases and people before him with dignity and respect.
A 1973 graduate of Columbia High School, Spanner said he first knew in high school that he wanted to be an attorney. He tried to take the next step in 1995 by seeking appointment to the Benton County District Court bench, but decided he needed more experience before trying again.
Now, Spanner says, he has "the consummate experience" for a greater period of time in an area of the law that is more relevant to voters.
Spanner and his wife Mary live in Richland, and have an adult daughter and son.
More information on the candidates can be found at votingforjudges.org, a nonpartisan website on all judicial elections in Washington.
