Richland lawyer appointed new judge; hopes to start mid-October

Benton-Franklin Superior Court now will have two women judges on the bench after Jackie Shea Brown’s appointment Monday to a newly created position.

Since her interview with Gov. Jay Inslee last Wednesday, Shea Brown had been waiting anxiously for word of his decision.

Then, when the job offer came just after 10 a.m. Monday, she said she was excited and honored to accept the governor’s appointment.

“I’m feeling super blessed. I am truly grateful and truly blessed, and I am ready to do the best job I can possibly do for the citizens of our community in this role that I take very seriously,” Shea Brown, 51, told the Herald. “And I will certainly treat people with impartiality and respect and due justice in each case.

“I also respect that justice cannot be delayed, so I will make every effort to make timely decisions for the benefit of the parties,” added Shea Brown, who has been president of the Benton-Franklin Legal Aid Society since 2013.

The Richland family and criminal law attorney will become the seventh Superior Court judge.

The Legislature created the new position in 2013, but it took a couple of years for the two counties to find how to pay for it.

Shea Brown, who owns Tri-Cities Law Group with husband Russ Brown, is working to transfer her caseload to other lawyers and close out her part of the practice. She hopes to be on the bench by the middle of October.

“Jackie is highly respected among her peers, and I am thrilled to appoint her to this new position,” Inslee said in a news release. “Her strong presence in and dedication to the community will make her an excellent judge.”

Shea Brown will face election in 2016 to retain the seat.

Superior Court judges handle civil and felony criminal cases, divorces, and paternity and custody issues. The number and complexity of the cases in the bicounty district have grown enough that court officials felt there was a need for another judge.

Superior Court judges are paid $162,618 per year. The state pays half of the salary and all benefits. The other half is divided between Benton and Franklin counties, based on a formula for that year’s assessed property values.

The first female Benton-Franklin Superior Court judge was Carolyn Brown, who served from 1988 to 2004. Judge Carrie Runge was appointed in 2003 after the Legislature created a sixth judicial position.

Court Commissioners Jerri Potts and Jacqueline Stam share many of the same responsibilities as judges on the bicounty bench, but cannot preside over jury trials.

Shea Brown was one of five Tri-City lawyers who applied for this judicial opening. The other applicants were Terry Bloor, Ted Sams, Sam Swanberg and Alan Tindell.

Shea Brown came in first in a Benton Franklin Counties Bar Association poll, and received an “exceptionally well qualified” judicial rating from Washington Women Lawyers.

She believes her work since 2007 as a judge pro tem with Superior Court, Franklin County District Court, Pasco Municipal Court and Benton County District Court gave her a strong foundation and, along with her legal practice, should help provide a smooth transition to the issues she will face on the bench.

Shea Brown got a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Washington and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. She has been practicing in Washington state since 1994.

Her father is Ed Shea, a longtime U.S. District Court judge in Eastern Washington, who moved to senior status in 2012. Judge Shea visited her soon after the announcement “just to give me a big hug.”

Her mother, Marguerite Shea, will retire at the end of this month as a registered dietitian with Kadlec Regional Medical Center. Her brother Ed Shea Jr. is a Pasco lawyer, sister Marilou Shea is director of the Pasco Specialty Kitchen and sister Kathy Henningsen is a certified financial planner in Bellevue.

Shea Brown is stepmother to three adult boys, with one grandson.

She said that with her mother’s retirement, her grandson’s birthday and her upcoming swearing-in ceremony, the family has “lots to celebrate in October.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2015 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Richland lawyer appointed new judge; hopes to start mid-October."