Retired Clark County Superior Court Judge James Rulli shared some sound advice with his successor, ranging from practical — not to run while wearing her robe (he once tripped) — to philosophical.
“You know, you’re going to be handling thousands of criminal cases now, and it’s important that you have patience, you advise them of their rights,” Rulli told Jennifer Snider during her swearing-in ceremony Thursday afternoon.
Gov. Jay Inslee announced April 23 he had appointed Snider to replace Rulli, who retired May 1 after serving more than two decades on the bench.
“I believe I’ve shown you that I value equal access in my courtroom,” Snider said moments after she was sworn in during a ceremony at the Clark County Courthouse with dozens of lawyers, clerks, commissioners and judges present. “There’s no question that the trust you have in my abilities led Gov. Inslee to appoint me as the Superior Court judge.”
Snider was one of six candidates for the judicial appointment and the Clark County Bar Association’s overwhelming favorite for the position. In the bar association’s preference poll, 57.75 percent of the 213 respondents said Snider was their “choice.”
“There was an amazing group of attorneys that put in for this position,” Snider said. “It’s an honor to have been picked knowing what that field looked like.”
Snider, 48, of Vancouver had been a full-time Superior Court commissioner since August 2013. As commissioner, she presided over any business of the court assigned by the judges.
Superior Court Commissioner Dayann Liebman, who has known Snider since the beginning of Snider’s career, spoke Thursday about watching her grow from a young lawyer to a judge with three children.
“In a word, watching what she did to meet the demands and responsibilities of her job while also meeting the demands and responsibilities of raising these three kids was nothing short of awe-inspiring,” Liebman said.
For nearly five years, Snider was primarily assigned to juvenile offender and family law matters. More recently, she was added to the dependency rotation, which includes three days of trial settings per week and one full day of review hearings and motions, in addition to Family Treatment Court.
17 years in practice
Before serving as a commissioner, Snider worked for the Vancouver law firm Reed & Johnson, which later became Johnson & Snider P.C. She spent 17 years as an associate and then partner, practicing family law, dependency cases and personal injury cases.
“They were practically gloating about how well their new associate was working out,” Liebman said. “Jennifer was always the attorney that made cases easier instead of more difficult. She was rational. She was reasonable. There was no drama, no hysterics and she was good to her word.”
Snider earned a bachelor’s degree in politics in 1993 from Whitman College and a law degree in 1996 from Gonzaga University School of Law. She joked Thursday that she was grateful, both in her first job out of college and now, to be chosen despite having an ankle tattoo, a pickup and a love of country music, which Snider tied to her small-town North Dakota upbringing.
“And that trust was not without me being me. I smile, and I’m sarcastic,” Snider said.
During her remarks, Snider also mentioned that, including herself, only four of the nearly 40 Clark County Superior Court judges over the years have been women. Snider said that ratio is “not reflective of our community or our bar.”
“We have outstanding and qualified women attorneys surrounding us, and I encourage you all to think about seeking judicial positions when they become available,” Snider said.
Because Superior Court judges are elected, Snider will need to file for candidacy next week to run for Rulli’s unexpired term, which ends in 2020. If elected in November, Snider would retain the position until 2020, when she would have to run for re-election to a full four-year term.
