I am supporting Sarah Hayne for the non-partisan position of King County District Court judge, Northeast Division Position 2.

Hayne has worked on the Eastside both full-time and part time for over 22 years as a defense attorney, prosecutor and pro-tem Judge, while raising her two children. Of the 50 attorneys who are endorsing in this race and who practice before her opponent in district court, 47 endorse her. She is also the only one in this race to have endorsements from both Democrats and Republicans. Additionally, state Sen. Karen Keiser (D) and state Rep. Jay Rodne (R) both endorse her.

Hayne has a deep understanding of our courts and the people who find themselves as participants. She grew up in poverty and knows first-hand the difficulties and complexities that arise from scarce resources.

When she was 10, her oldest sister was brutally murdered and it was never solved. She watched her other sister struggle in and out of the court system with little attention paid to the mental illness that kept her mired in the prison system. She can fully understand how it feels to have the system abandon you as a victim and fail to address underlying causes as a defendant.

Hayne has my vote and I hope she can earn yours, too.

Jill Wagner, Bellevue