Longtime judge to retire in August

Thurston County District Court Judge C.L. "Kip" Stilz will retire effective Aug. 1 because of health issues, the court's presiding judge confirmed Friday.

Stilz, 63, was appointed to the bench in 1984. He has been on medical leave since early April.

Thurston County Presiding District Court Judge Susan Dubuisson said Friday that Stilz has made many positive contributions to the judiciary, including helping implement new technologies to store and disseminate court data; acting as an advocate for open records; and serving as a member of the Bench-Press-Bar Committee, a statewide organization formed to foster better relationships among judges, lawyers and journalists.

"He has served the citizens with distinction, and many of the things that he has done have benefitted the citizens of the entire state," Dubuisson said.

"Many of the contributions he made to the judiciary will be felt in a positive way for years to come."

Judges statewide have relied on Stilz's expertise in open-records laws, Dubuisson said. In addition to serving on the Bench-Bar-Press Committee, Stilz served on one of its subcommittees, the Fire Brigade, created to help troubleshoot when conflicts arise between the media and the court, she said.

Stilz is the presiding judge for Thurston County's Mental Health Court, a program that helps deliver social services and otherwise supervises qualifying defendants who have underlying mental health issues.

It was unclear Friday how the county will go about appointing a replacement for Stilz. According to state statute, judges who retire before their terms expire are to be replaced by the "county legislative authority" — in this case, the Thurston County Commission.

Thurston County Commissioner Diane Oberquell said Friday that she has not discussed with the other commissioners the issue of appointing a temporary replacement for Stilz. She added that no other judges have retired before their terms have expired in the time she has been a commissioner, starting in 1989.

Orberquell also did not have information about whether the commission will accept open applications for the judgeship.

Stilz's term was scheduled to expire at the end of 2010, Dubuisson said. The minimum eligibility requirements for district court judges are that applicants be a lawyer and be a registered voter in the district in which they wish to serve, Orberquell said.

She seconded Dubuisson's comments that Stilz's presence in the local judiciary will be missed.

"Judge Stilz is a very kind and generous man" who has been instrumental in helping start the county's mental health court, she said.

Stilz could not be reached for comment Friday. The health issue causing his premature retirement was unclear. During Stilz's continued absence from the bench, a group of temporary judges are handling his caseload, Dubuisson said.

Jeremy Pawloski covers public safety for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or jpawloski@theolympian.com.