December 11, 2023
Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed retired King County Superior Court Judge Douglass North to serve on the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission.
North said he is excited to dive into all of the issues coming before the Commission, such as grassroots lobbying rulemaking set to be considered at the PDC’s December 7 regular meeting, North’s first as a Commissioner.
“I believe in Washington’s public disclosure law,” North said. “I think it’s one of the best in the country, and I want to see that it’s properly administered and carried out.”
Commissioners are appointed by the Governor and serve single five-year terms. North’s appointment brings the commission up to its full complement of five members.
“We’re excited to welcome a commissioner as experienced and well-versed in the law as Judge North,” said Commission Chair Nancy Isserlis. “I look forward to hearing his perspective on the many issues before the PDC in the coming years.”
North served as a King County Superior Court Judge from 2000 until his retirement in 2022. He continues to serve as a Pro Tempore judge in King County Superior Court.
He graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s degree in 1974 and graduated from the University of Washington School of Law in 1977. North started his career as a law clerk for Judge Keith Callow at the Washington State Court of Appeals.
North has been a member of the King County Superior Court’s Local Rules Committee, the Washington State Bar Association’s Rules Committee and the King County Bar’s Judiciary and Courts Committee.
In 2022, North presided over a lawsuit by the State of Washington against Facebook’s parent company Meta, ordering $25 million in fines against the company for more than 800 violations of Washington’s Fair Campaign Practices Act and another $10.5 million in legal fees. The lawsuit was brought by the Washington State Office of the Attorney General after being initially investigated by the Public Disclosure Commission.