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Restorative Justice demands that we recognize our courts, like many of our American institutions, have been plagued by systemic racism, bias and prejudice. This has resulted in unjust treatment for Blacks, Asians, Latinx, women, members of the Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities, religious minorities, and too many other marginalized groups.  

Restorative justice acknowledges this past and seeks to provide alternatives to the traditional court response of incarceration.

As a judge who is Jewish and gay, I believe in creating Restorative Justice programs and in rebuilding our court system so everyone is treated fairly.

For the past five years, my primary caseload has been domestic violence, and I have observed firsthand the traumatic impact intimate partner violence has on the survivors, the abusers, their children and their extended families.

Treatment is critical to helping restore not only those impacted by domestic violence but also our community. That’s why I helped create the Domestic Violence Intervention Project (DVIP), a collaborative community program we’re doing in Seattle Municipal Court. DVIP is an alternative to jail, and it focuses on individualized treatment for those who commit violence against their intimate partners.

As I wrote last October in The Seattle Times, “DVIP offers individuals the tools and support they need to have healthy relationships so they can leave the court system. This is what most victims want.”

Chosen by my colleagues to serve as Presiding Judge of Seattle Municipal Court, I am running for re-election so I can continue working to transform our criminal legal system into one that is truly fair and just for all.

– Presiding Judge Adam Eisenberg