On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, KOMONEWS reported that the Seattle City Attorney’s Office will be filing affidavits of prejudice against Seattle Municipal Court Judge Pooja Vaddadi in an attempt to remove her from hearing any new criminal cases.
For some time now, the city attorney’s office has taken issue with rulings Judge Vaddadi has made in criminal cases, believing them to show bias against prosecutors. In a memo sent to prosecutors and the court last week, they accused Vaddadi of “a pattern of biased rulings” that prevented the city from receiving fair hearings and trials. Examples cited included Vaddadi failing to find probable cause in an assault case as well as refusing to issue no-contact orders in domestic violence cases despite a history of abuse.
However, Vaddadi strongly denies any allegation of bias. As an elected judge, she says her role is to impartially preside over cases and ensure both sides follow the law. She was unaware of any direct complaints from the city attorney and believes she has always balanced weighing the facts and law in an unbiased manner, only considering evidence presented in court.
The move by prosecutors will not impact Vaddadi’s current caseload but will require other judges to take over her duties involving new case arraignments, hearings, and trials going forward. This is expected to strain the municipal court’s calendar capacity as it transitions to a new case management system over the next few weeks. Legal experts called the city attorney’s action “drastic” and “unusual,” suggesting bias must be seriously in question to warrant such a step.
Source: KOMONEWS
