Judicial Questionnaire – 2026 Revision
Candidate Info
Candidate Name: James Armstrong
Position Sought: Pierce County District Court Judge Position #8
Are you an incumbent for this position? Non-incumbent
Home Legislative District: 28th
Campaign Info
Campaign Manager or Point of Contact: John Winkler
List social media sites: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589463191009
Part I – Candidate Background
1. Please describe your qualifications, education, employment, past community and civic activity, as well as any other relevant experience.
Community service has been a consistent part of my professional life. I have participated in youth outreach and public education programs, including the Youth & Law Forum. I served as President of the Loren Miller Bar Association and President of the Washington State Bar Foundation. Monies raised by the Bar Foundation went to assist low bono and pro bono services throughout the state including the communities of Pierce County.
I have been a Pro Tem Judge for four years. I was appointed to and sat on the Bremerton Municipal Court as Presiding Judge from January 2025 to December 2025. I adjudicated all cases all day and every day. I presided over Therapeutic Court and did community outreach that led students to the bench.
2. What prompted you to run for this office?
After serving in multiple jurisdictions as a Pro Tem Judge culminating in my term as a Municipal Court Judge on a full-time basis in a single judge courthouse, I now have the requisite experience to serve on the Pierce County District Court bench. I want to continue that momentum with respect to Therapeutic Court, student mentoring and adjudicating cases. My work of adjudicating cases with accountability and rehabilitation will continue to result in less recidivism making the community safer, educated and inspired by the work the Court continues to do.
3. What do you believe are the most important qualifications for a judge or justice?
A judge must be fair, impartial, and have sound judicial temperament. The role requires the ability to listen carefully, apply the law consistently, and treat every person with dignity and respect. Strong legal knowledge and practical experience are essential for making well‑reasoned decisions grounded in the facts and the law.
4. What priorities are you seeking to address with your campaign?
Most people who come in contact with the criminal justice system will have that contact at the District Court and Municipal Court levels. My priorities are to emphasize accountability and rehabilitation in the form of substance use treatment, mental health counseling, anger management, DV-MRT, etc. Imposing a sentence or accepting a guilty plea without an acknowledgement that other issues contributed ignores what may have been a central component of the behavior. Accountability coupled with rehabilitative treatment work together to slow the revolving door individuals find themselves trapped in as they enter in and out of my court.
5. What is the code of conduct for your campaign?
My campaign is grounded in respect for my opponent, for the voters, and for the integrity of the judicial selection process. I believe that judicial campaigns must reflect the values of the courts themselves: fairness, honesty, and professionalism. My focus is on the community, accountability, and rehabilitation at this level of the justice system, and my campaign conduct mirrors those priorities.
Part II – Access to Justice
1. If elected, how will you work to improve access to justice, particularly for communities and constituencies that do not understand the American legal system?
At the Bremerton Municipal Court, we had our interpreter calendar every other Tuesday of the month. We had a large number of Mam speaking defendants who appeared before the Court. We utilized interpreters but took extra time to inform individuals of their rights when they lacked an understanding due to language barrier. As such, I took the initiative to have rights translated from English to Mam for those defendants. This is the type of commitment I have shown as a Judicial Officer and will continue to show as the needs appear. One has to first recognize a need and then act. I acted and will do so as the need arises.
2. Is Washington relying too much on court fees to cover the cost of operating our judicial system? How do you believe our courts should be funded?
Courts do rely too heavily on fees to cover the costs of operating the judicial system. We do not want a Judiciary that is cognizant of a need to have to consider fees for this purpose. If we have that recognition by our Judges, we then load those before us down with fees with this in mind. This may even be a subconscious reaction. Legal financial obligations and the system it is founded upon compounds interest and results in keeping those in the system, in the system without end in sight.
3. Would you, if elected, bring restorative justice as a goal to your court room? If yes, describe how that could look.
Restorative justice mirrors in many ways the rehabilitative piece that is one of my core beliefs. For an individual to move forward in life without progressive criminal law violations leading them from Municipal/District Court to Superior Court, concentrating on the peripheral issues that may have led to the criminal law violation is imperative. Concentrating on substance use and treatment or mental health counseling, or domestic violence treatment in the form of DV-MRT will lead to less recidivism and a safer community.
One cannot have substance use issues that may have contributed to the commission of a crime, have a sentence imposed that does not address the underlying substance use issues, and not expect to be back in court. Address the underlying issue with restorative justice in mind and not just the imposition of an in-custody sentence. The result will be an adult who finds themselves back in the community with tools to succeed.
4. What ideas can you offer to make our judicial system more open, transparent, and responsive?
Courtrooms are open to the public. Even with an open courtroom, legalese and attorney speak can make an already accessible courtroom feel more opaque than a closed court. Judges can lend to the solution by being clear and concise with respect to making sure each defendant understands the process. Upon such understanding, explaining the rationale of his/her/their rulings to further educates all present. Simplification of forms is always an ongoing process that should only intensify
5. What are your thoughts on how our courts could permanently incorporate virtual options for court hearings?
One Word: COVID. Technology is typically thrusted upon us via necessity. We were able to have a remote system when COVID necessitated it. Remote hearings are advantageous for all involved. Defendants, plaintiffs, respondents, Attorneys, etc., can appear for hearings without losing unnecessary time from the job or without needing to obtain childcare. Who would have thought that jury trials would be completed from start to finish totally remotely. It was done because of necessity. We remain at the point of necessity especially as gas prices spike and cripple a population that is already struggling to access the system.
6. Justice delayed is justice denied, what are your thoughts on how to catch up on the current backlog of cases awaiting trail? Additionally what changes to the current court system would you implement to ensure speedy justice?
In my experience, when a court faces a backlog, one effective tool is for the judge to be more discerning about the number of continuances granted. From the bench, I have seen that when attorneys understand they will not receive four, five, or six continuances on a case, there is a greater effort to resolve the matter or move it forward in a timely manner.
Another practical option is to use Pro Tem Judges, with the agreement of the parties, to hear cases that are ready for trial. There is no reason we cannot maintain a designated group of qualified Pro Tem Judges in spaces not occupied within the courthouse due to vacations or the like. Pro Tem Judges can step in to hear to trials upon agreement of the parties. This will help reduce congestion and is an option for cases proceed without unnecessary delay.
7. What judicial reforms do you support to achieve greater equity and inclusion for BIPOC individuals in our communities?
Judges have the authority to ensure equal justice for BIPOC without Judicial reforms. As a Judge, I follow recommendations that are put forth as agreed upon by the parties. I also see recommendations that are not agreed upon. Over time, I can see the consistency or lack thereof in sentence recommendations for the same or similar violations. To ensure BIPOC are treated in a fair manner, Judges must make sure that all people with violations with similar fact scenarios are sentenced similarly. The problem comes in when, if there are inconsistencies, they are either not recognized by Judges or not called out once recognized. The power and authority rests in the hands of a Judiciary that is cognizant of possible inequalities that have existed in the past while also recognizing inequalities that may be present in present day.
By typing my name below, I declare under penalty of perjury the foregoing is true and correct.
Printed Name: James Armstrong
Date: 06/09/2026
