The Vietnamese American Bar Association of Washington is a member of the Joint Asian Judicial Evaluation Committee (“JAJEC”) along with the Asian Bar Association of Washington, Filipino Lawyers of Washington, Korean American Bar Association of Washington, and South Asian Bar Alliance of Washington. The JAJEC was created in part to ensure that judicial candidates are aware of and consider the issues important to the Asian Specialty Bars. All of the ratings become available to the public to educate voters of those candidates who meet the qualifications to serve on the judiciary as defined by the participating minority bar associations.
What the JAJEC Ratings Mean
JAJEC does not endorse candidates for judicial office. Rather, JAJEC evaluates candidates by providing the public with our ratings.
Candidates may be rated as follows:
A candidate may be rated exceptionally well qualified (EWQ), well qualified (WQ), qualified (Q), or not qualified (NQ) based on various factors including his or her integrity, fairness, legal ability, and demonstrated commitment to equal justice. The JAJEC chair notifies the Applicant of the rating within two days by phone or mail. This rating is valid for three years. Although the rating is made public, all information disclosed by the Applicant or the Applicant’s references and all discussions of the Committee are kept confidential.
Steps to Obtaining a JAJEC Rating
Contact JAJEC 2021 Co-Chairs Amy Kim and Aileen Tsao at abawjajec@gmail.com. In your e-mail, please provide the following: Indicate the position(s) you are seeking; and attach an electronic copy (Word version preferred, if possible) of any one of the following judicial questionnaires (along with any supplements, including writing samples): (i) Washington State Bar Association; (ii) King County Bar Association; or (iii) Governor’s Office Uniform Judicial Evaluation Questionnaire.If you have more than one of the above, the Uniform Judicial Evaluation Questionnaire in Word version is preferred.
Once the electronic copy of the application is received, you will be sent a letter via e-mail scheduling the date and time for your interview. You will also receive an electronic copy of the bylaws that govern the process and a roster of JAJEC members.
Interviews are held once a month on a first-come, first-serve basis. Up to four candidates are interviewed each month. Interviews are scheduled no earlier than three weeks after receipt of the completed application. All interviews are held during the evening.
It is strongly encouraged that candidates submit their applications for a JAJEC rating several months in advance of the Governor’s deadline to ensure sufficient time to schedule an interview and receive a timely rating. However, candidates seeking a rating from JAJEC pursuant to a Notice of Vacancy from the Governor’s office must provide the committee chair with their request for rating and their materials at a minimum 30 days before the deadline for submission of the rating to the Governor’s Office of General Counsel or one week prior to the deadline for submission of the application to the Governor’s Office, whichever is earlier.