Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closeTuesday, Jul. 07, 2009
Judge demanded respect of the law
By Kristin M. Kraemer, Herald staff writer
Retired Judge Robert S. Day was remembered Monday as a no-nonsense jurist who demanded professionalism and a respect of the law from all in his courtroom.
"He was very strict and he ran his court firmly ...," said best friend and Benton-Franklin Superior Court colleague, retired Judge Duane Taber. "He was extremely bright, a very intelligent individual. He came from extremely modest means and rose to the point where he was of some significance in the judiciary, including being the president of the state bar in 1976."
Day, whose legal career spanned more than 36 years, died at 5 a.m. Saturday from a heart condition. He is survived by his wife Gloria and their two sons, Donald from the Mount Hood area, and Brian from Seattle.
Day, 86, had been ailing since April and was hospitalized at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane. He was discharged June 26, and Taber said he drove his friend back home to Kennewick with neither realizing the seriousness of his ailment.
He started receiving in-home hospice care from The Chaplaincy shortly before his death on the holiday.
"Unlike Michael Jackson or Farrah Fawcett or the rest of them, he will be celebrated by fireworks every July fourth," Taber said.
Funeral arrangements are pending. A memorial service is in the works to be held in the historic courtroom at the Franklin County Courthouse in Pasco, Taber said.
Day was a Superior Court judge from 1977-88. He was appointed by then-Gov. Dixy Lee Ray.
When not at work, Day often could be found at the golf course or on his boat, salmon fishing in Ilwaco at the mouth of the Columbia River, Taber said.
The Kentucky native grew up in Okanogan and was admitted to the Washington State Bar in April 1953, a week before his 30th birthday.
While in private practice, Day doubled as the Kennewick police judge and justice of the peace from 1954-70.
"He was a lawyer's lawyer. He tried very complicated and challenging cases and did so with great skill," said U.S. District Court Judge Ed Shea.
The two men were law partners in the 1970s -- together trying two high-profile murder cases -- and Shea credits Day with getting him active in the Washington State Bar Association in 1971.
When Day became head of the 6,000-member organization in September 1975, he was the first lawyer from southeastern Washington to hold the post in 20 years. He was highly regarded across the state for all the initiatives he undertook for the bar, Shea said.
"He was a great president of the bar and a representative of Eastern Washington," Taber said. "For most of the law the sun rose and set in Seattle, but not when Bob was in office."
Once on the bench, Day's demeanor scared many lawyers.
"He was very fair, but he demanded respect and decorum and preparation," Taber said.
Franklin County Prosecutor Steve Lowe said he first practiced before Day and Taber as a deputy prosecutor from 1986 to 1989.
Monday was a sad day in the office as longtime lawyers recalled that Day was "one of the good ones," Lowe said.
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