| ► Judge Eileen Kato of Seattle; scofflaw, moron ethical dwarf |
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Judge Eileen Kato of Seattle; scofflaw, moron ethical dwarf  
Unfortunately, Judge Eileen Kato has been sitting on the King County District Court in Seattle since 1994.
In 2008 the so-called Washington Judicial Conduct Commission filed an ethics complaint against Judge Eileen Kato. Subsequently, Judge Kato was adjudged guilty of the misconduct, which is set forth below.
Under Washington law, when a marriage is performed, there must be two witnesses in attendance. Those two witnesses are then statutorily required to execute documents proving they witnessed the marriage.
On numerous occasions, Judge Eileen Kato performed marriages without any witnesses in attendance. She then later obtained witness signatures from people were not, in fact, even present as witnesses.
Some of these non-attending (phantom) witnesses were in fact court staff, all of whom held subordinate positions with Judge Kato.
Put simply, Judge Eileen Kato repeatedly thumbed her nose at the law requiring the attendance of two witnesses during marriages she presided over. Even worse is her conduct in providing false/fabricated witness signatures, many of which she clearly coerced her court staff to execute.
Judicial Commission’s punishment of Judge Eileen Kato
Because Judge’s are in fact held to a lower standard of conduct they we are, the enablers and apologists on the Judicial Commission punished Judge Kato by gifting her with a “complimentary reprimand.”
In an effort at levity, the Commission also ordered that Judge Kato read and familiarize herself with the Code of Judicial Conduct within thirty days. At the time she was a sitting judge for nearly 15 years. Are we to believe that she didn’t have a clue that he conduct violated the Code of Judicial Conduct? Put simply, what’s the point?
The Judicial Commission also ordered that Judge Kato attend and satisfactorily complete a judicial ethics program. What kind of joke is this? Again, what’s the point?
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