4
THE LEGAL BRIEF
VOLUME 42, ISSUE 1
A View From The Bench
By Judge Pam Nogueira City of Olympia
Happy New Year!
I became the Olympia Municipal Court judge just 3 months ago. Though, at this point in my career, being a judicial officer is second nature. For the prior 2 years I
was a full - time court commissioner for Thurston County Superior Court at Family and Juvenile Court. Before that I was judge pro - tempore for multiple courts while in private practice. What is new to me, however, is being able to affect change to the degree at which my new position affords. We have many changes on the works. Starting in January our court will have new calendar and local rules. These were sent out for comments in October and finalized in December. These changes are the first steps toward an effort to improve efficiency. We will have more in person appearances, especially for arraignments and dispositions, which will create an opportunity for criminal defendants to better engage with defense attorneys, sign documents, and obtain copies of orders. Another of my primary focuses is our community court. We have welcomed a review of the program by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) so we can better understand the gaps and unrealized needs of the program. Our staff is committed to attending continued education training and adhering to current best - practice standards. Our community court will also return to in - person. This will allow for a better connection between our participants and our providers and case manager. It will increase our ability to drug test and create an opportunity for our staff to assess needs, offer donations, and make new referrals. We currently also have, on the same day as our community court, the St. Peter Hospital ’ s street medicine mobile unit and the Nurture Hope ’ s mobile shower unit on our parking lot, offering services to participants.
In the future, I hope our court can partner with other local agencies and jurisdictions so that we can make the most of our resources in serving our community.
We expect a bright 2024 for this court and our community. Best wishes to all!
Swearing in ceremony for Judge Pam Nogueira.
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