Judge Under Fire for Drunken Driving Rulings Says Transfer was Punishment
A judge under fire for his handling of drunken driving cases says he was moved to Seattle from another King County court as punishment.
Judge Peter Nault will hear only civil cases in his new post, the Seattle Times reports. The change was made after prosecutors in Redmond challenged Nault’s jurisdiction in every criminal case. Mark Larson, chief criminal deputy for the prosecutor’s office, said the jurisdictional challenges are similar to peremptory challenges of jurors.
In one controversial case, Nault tossed a breath test of a county councilwoman because she had not been warned of the implications of consenting to the test, the story says. His evidence and sentencing rulings have also been contested.
Nault said his transfer appears to be a sanction by the presiding judge, the Seattle Times reports in a separate story. He says the voters, rather than the presiding judge, are his employer and only the state supreme court can impose sanctions. He also criticizes prosecutors and says they are “judge shopping,”
