The Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct met Friday, but it was unknown if Clark County District Court Judge Darvin Zimmerman was among the topics of discussion.
Investigations and initial proceedings are confidential, but attorney Josephine Townsend, who’s representing Zimmerman, told The Columbian on Monday that her team had been given a case number.
The commission has also requested that her team not discuss the case while it’s being investigated, Townsend said.
Zimmerman remains on leave, using paid time, with no set date of return to the bench. He announced March 16 that he was temporarily stepping away after self-reporting to the commission comments he made critical of a local Black man killed by sheriff’s deputies.
His comments were inadvertently captured March 9 on courtroom cameras and broadcast on social media, prompting swift criticism and action from local officials.
Both the county prosecutor and Vancouver city attorney have said prosecutors will seek Zimmerman’s removal from cases. Additionally, the District Court reassigned his caseload, Superior Court stripped his authority to perform any functions of that court, and attorneys, activists and elected officials called for him to resign.
Speaking through Townsend, Zimmerman has previously said he plans to let the commission’s investigation play out.
The commission has the power to investigate his comments and take action, including recommending the Washington Supreme Court suspend or remove him from his elected office. (His current four-year term expires at the end of 2022.)
Commission is busy
It’s unknown how long the investigative process will take. Any complaints against Zimmerman would not become public unless and until the commission files a statement of charges. There was no mention of Zimmerman during the public portion of the commission’s meeting Friday.
In response to a member’s question, executive director Reiko Callner noted that the commission has been inundated with complaints from around the state and is doing its best to quickly and thoroughly investigate each.
The commission’s next scheduled meeting is June 25.
