OLYMPIA — The Association of Washington Business today released its biennial Judicial Scorecard. The publication examines cases heard by the Washington State Supreme Court over the previous two years and rates the performance of the nine justices on issues of interest to the business community.

“We began publishing the scorecard in 2004 as a way to shine a spotlight on the Supreme Court for our members and the general public,” said AWB President Don Brunell. “So much of what happens in the Legislature and at the ballot box ends up before the court. This publication gives our members — both small and large businesses alike — an opportunity to quickly review the cases the court is hearing and evaluate the position the justices are taking.”

Compiled by Kris Tefft, AWB general counsel, the Judicial Scorecard reviews Supreme Court decisions in labor and employment, environmental and land use, tax and fiscal policy, workers’ compensation and safety, torts and insurance and general business issues. Each justice received a “pro-business” score within each issue area, as well as an overall score for the review period.

The Judicial Scorecard is also an effort to show the Supreme Court which issues are important to the business community. “The scorecard is the business community’s tool to evaluate and educate both the public and the Supreme Court about what is important to the business community,” said Tefft.

Several of the Supreme Court justices improved their business outlook over the last two years, according to the report. Justice Jim Johnson improved his overall score from 82 percent to 92 percent, Justice Richard Sanders held steady from 75 percent to 76 percent, while Chief Justice Gerry Alexander moved from 53 percent to 58 percent after his re-election in 2006. Justice Charles Johnson, up for re-election this year and endorsed by AWB, improved his score from 42 percent in 2006 to 54 percent in 2008.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Justice Mary Fairhurst, this year’s other incumbent up for re-election, slipped from 45 percent to 38 percent, Justice Susan Owens moved from 47 percent to 35 percent, and Justice Tom Chambers dropped from 47 percent to 40 percent. Newly appointed justice Debra Stephens, up for election this fall, did not participate in enough published decisions to be evaluated this year.

AWB’s 2008 Judicial Scorecard is available online. Copies are also available upon request by contacting AWB at (360) 943-1600. AWB members received the scorecard with their copy of the July/August issue of Washington Business magazine.

About the Association of Washington Business (AWB)
AWB is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association. Formed in 1904, its 6,600 members employ more than 650,000 workers. AWB also is the state chamber of commerce and the umbrella organization for more than 130 trade and professional organizations. While AWB’s membership includes the states major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, more than 85 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people and one-third of its members hire fewer than 10.