City prosecutor to run for District Court judge

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Ralph Thompson, a Yakima County District Court judge since 2008, said Wednesday night that he has decided against running for a full term.

A Yakima assistant city attorney, meanwhile, announced earlier in the day that he planned to run for Thompson's seat.

Thompson said he informed court officials last week that he would not run. He decided to announce his withdrawal from the race after learning of Bronson Faul's expected candidacy.

In a news release, Faul said he will hold a news conference Friday at the Yakima Valley SunDome.

A former county prosecutor, Faul has been a city prosecutor since 2005. He said he mainly handles criminal cases but has also worked on civil issues as well.

Thompson, 65, said he decided that the time had come to leave the bench. He said he may consider part-time work as a judge after that, but he said he wasn't planning to look for another permanent position.

Thompson replaced Michael McCarthy in 2008 when McCarthy moved to Superior Court. He was an administrative law judge before county commissioners appointed him to the bench. He was subsequently elected to fill out the rest of McCarthy's term.

Thompson didn't hear District Court criminal cases for several months after county Prosecutor Jim Hagarty effectively blocked him from that role, citing concerns over his decision-making and general knowledge of the law. But Hagarty lifted the order earlier this month, saying his concerns had been resolved.

Thompson maintained that he was careful to follow the law for both the defense and prosecution. Some defense attorneys and a law professor suggested Hagarty's move was a heavy-handed way of dealing with decisions that prosecutors didn't like.