This page contains OAH articles posted previously on the OAH home page. Current news is found on the OAH Home Page.

Spokane ALJ Receives Recognition

Spokane, May 21, 2007 - Both the United States Navy and Spokane Superior Court have recognized Judge William C. Dodge of Spokane OAH for his outstanding service as Guardian Ad Litem for Spokane County, earning him the "2006 Guardian Ad Litem of the Year" award. "Mr. Dodge has served on our registry since 1996 and has received outstanding evaluations on virtually every case he has been assigned," said Kathleen M. O'Connor, a Spokane Superior Court Judge.

Senate Confirms Chief ALJ

Olympia, April 11, 2007 - The Washington State Senate unanimously confirmed Roosevelt Currie to serve as the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings. Judge Currie will serve a five-year term. The Chief Administrative Law Judge serves as the head of the Office of Administrative Hearings. Governor Gregoire appointed Judge Currie on April 11, 2006.

New ALJs Pro Tem Begin Work at OAH

Olympia - OAH is pleased to announce the appointment of Patricia L. Morgan to conduct child support hearings and Rodney Carrier to conduct unemployment benefits hearings in Olympia. Judge Morgan has served as a part-time Superior Court Commissioner in Mason County for many years and Superior Court Commissioner Pro Tem in Thurston County. She has extensive family law experience and maintains a mediation practice. During 1998, and 2005, she was an editor for the Washington State Bar Association's Family Law Deskbook. Judge Carrier is an Olympia private practitioner and worked as an assistant attorney general for many years. Judge Carrier also has significant arbitration experience, and is a long-time member of the Government Lawyer's Bar Association.

OAH Redesigns Web Site

Olympia - The Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings recently launched a new web site. The new site provides valuable information to unrepresented parties who appear in hearings before the Office of Administrative Hearings. The new web site presents current information about the hearing process in an attractive and easy to use format. It is easy to navigate, providing links to general hearing information and specific information about unemployment, public assistance, and special education hearings. The site also provides links to legal research, a legal glossary, and agency news.

“This new web site improves the public’s access to information that will assist parties in their preparation for hearings,” said Chief Administrative Law Judge, Roosevelt Currie.

Information about the hearing process and the agency is available to the public in nine different languages. By clicking on a language link provided by Babelfish.com, information on the website becomes instantly available in languages such as Spanish, German, French, and Japanese.

“One of our goals is to relieve anxiety and fear about the hearing process by making information readily available to individuals who appear before the Office of Administrative Hearings,” said Public Information Officer, Stephanie Croom Williams.

OAH invites you to view our new and improved website. Let us know what you think by e-mailing feedback@oah.wa.gov.

ALJ Wins District Court Race

Everett, November 13, 2006 - Judge Tam Bui, an ALJ in the OAH Everett office, was elected to the Snohomish County District Court - Everett Division. The most recent election returns from Snohomish county showed she had a 54 percent majority lead over her opponent.

Judge Bui’s colleagues at OAH, the local bar association, and many others believe she will bring the right blend of experience, knowledge, and judicial temperament to the position.

Judge Bui’s experience as a judge pro tem and as an administrative law judge provided the experience needed for the job. Judge Bui’s departure will be a huge loss for OAH, and in particular, a loss to the Everett office. OAH congratulates Judge Bui on a job well done. We wish her the very best in her new job!

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Seattle, October 25, 2006 - The WSBA Administrative Law Section presented the 2006 Frank Homan award to William R. Andersen, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Washington School of Law. Among other things, Professor Andersen was instrumental in drafting legislation creating the Office of Administrative Hearings in 1981, and is widely recognized for his contributions to our state's Administrative Procedure Act. He also authored a chapter in the Washington Administrative Law Practice Manual. The Administrative Law Section established the Frank Homan award to be given annually to an individual who demonstrates extraordinary professional leadership and service in the administrative law practice area. Judge Homan, the namesake for the award, is a retired OAH administrative law judge. Judge Homan is known for his quick wit and devotion to the field of administrative law. He made a number of contributions to the field of administrative law and worked tirelessly to ensure justice in a number of cases. Judge Homan retired from the Office of Administrative Hearings in 1992.

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Olympia, October 20, 2006 - The Olympia DSHS/Liquor Control/Licensing office hired two new ALJs pro tem to assist OAH during peak caseload periods. Anita Booker-Hay and Charles Bryant were selected to assist the Olympia office with the child support caseload. Judge Booker-Hay is a former a Thurston County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. She currently works as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Lakewood. Judge Bryant has a solo practice in Federal Way, Washington, where he handles primarily family law and criminal matters. Judge Bryant has served as an arbitrator for King and Pierce counties and as guardian ad litem in King county. Both new judges underwent a thorough training program put together by Lead Judge, Jane Habegger, and are well prepared to perform the duties of an ALJ.

Olympia, October 16 - OAH has hired Les Myhre as the new financial manager and Don Chase as the new IT Manager. Myhre comes to OAH from the Employment Security Department and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our agency. He guided the budget development process at ESD, monitored agency spending by fund source and solved budget and accounting issues for the agencies divisions. Myhre was also the Office of Financial Management (OFM) Budget Assistant for the Office of Administrative Hearings and is familiar with OAH. Chase comes to OAH after working for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). At DNR, Chase was instrumental in implementing a number of IT projects, including DNR remote customer access, agency video conferencing, migrating to a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, and providing Blackberry and personal mobile access to many DNR employees. Chase is excited and enthusiastic about overseeing IT projects on the horizon, including replacing analog voice recorders with digital recorders and transitioning from an Oracle to Microsoft environment.

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Judge Janet Schneider Promoted to Lead ALJ

Vancouver, October 13, 2006 - Judge Schneider joined OAH in August 1997, starting in the Spokane office. She worked in the Olympia SHS office from August 1999 to October 1999. She moved to Olympia ES in October 1999 and joined the Vancouver office in March 2001. From July 1992 to October 1993, and July 1995 to July 1996, Janet worked as an ALJ in the State of Oregon. She taught in the Lewis & Clark Law Clinic from September 1993 to September 1994.

Judge Schneider graduated from WSU, cum laude, in 1978. She graduated from Lewis & Clark College Northwestern School of Law in August 1992, and she is licensed in both Oregon and Washington. In her early career, Janet spent over ten years as a Registered Nurse. She was a Day Charge Nurse for three years in a neurology unit. She also worked in Poison Control, ICU, ER, and Utilization Review.

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Olympia, September 6-8 - Congratulations to Lead ALJ Brian Watkins for an outstanding NAALJ conference. Judge Watkins co-chaired the national conference of NAALJ (National Association of Administrative Law Judges) which was held in Seattle this year. The conference was a huge success. This year's theme was Building Bridges for Better Administrative Adjudication. Chief Judge Roosevelt Currie extended a warm welcome to conference attendees on the first day.

Others involved in the planning and execution of the conference included Barb Cleveland, Judge Vicki Toyohara, (who did an excellent job with the silent auction), Judge Jan Shave, Senior Judge Gina Hale, Judge Lisa Groeneveld-Meijer, Judge Nan Thomas, (formerly OAH), Judge Veronica Alicea-Galvan, Senior Judge Stephanie Croom Williams, and Judge Barbara Boivin. The conference was co-sponsored by the Office of Administrative Hearings, (OAH), the National Association of Women Judges, (NAWJ), and the National Judicial College, (NJC).

Tacoma, August 30 - Ronald Stephens was sworn in as the new Tacoma Fire Chief by Chief Administrative Law Judge Roosevelt Currie. The ceremony took place at the Tacoma Convention Center. After a nationwide search, the city selected Chief Stephens, who rose through the ranks of the Tacoma Fire Department, after having served in many positions. He is the first African American to lead the department in its 126 year history.

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OAH Media Contacts

Public Information Officer - Primary Media Contact
Senior Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Croom Williams - 360.753.3431

Public Disclosure Officer - Secondary Media Contact
Executive Assistant Barb Cleveland - (360) 664-8717