Stanley C. Soderland
Judge of the King County Superior Court
In office
1964–1979
Appointed byAlbert Rosellini
Personal details
Born(1917-03-15)March 15, 1917
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
DiedNovember 28, 2001(2001-11-28) (aged 84)
Seattle, Washington
Alma materUniversity of Washington (B.A.)

University of Michigan (M.A.)

University of Washington School of Law (LL.B.)

Stanley C. Soderland (March 15, 1917 – November 28, 2001) was a judge of the King County Superior Court, who clerked for Justice William O. Douglas of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Early life and education

Stanley Carl Soderland was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to Carl and Irene Soderland. Stanley grew up on a farm near Snohomish, Washington. In 1936, he graduated from the University of Washington, and was made a member of Phi Beta Kappa. In 1939, Soderland received a LL.B. degree from the University of Washington School of Law, graduating first in his class.[1] He served as the first full term clerk for Justice William O. Douglas of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1939 to 1940.[2][3]

Legal career

Soderland practiced personal injury law in Seattle from 1943 to 1964.[4]

In 1964, he was appointed a judge in King County Superior Court and served until his retirement in 1979.[1] In 1971, he oversaw the grand jury led by prosecutors Chris Bayley and Evan Schwab investigating police payoffs,[5][6] and helped lead an investigation into poor conditions at the King County Jail, which resulted in a report recommending reforms.[7] Drawing on his years as a trial lawyer, also in 1971 he published pattern jury instructions for use in civil cases.[8] In 1976, the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association voted him "Judge of the Year."[9][10]

Family

He was married twice, and had one daughter, Diana Crittenden, and four sons, Stephen, Douglas, David and Carl.[1] The family resided in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle, and had a second home on Shaw Island.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Blake, Judith (December 1, 2001). "Obituary: Stanley Soderland: judge, dad, angler". Seattle Times. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  2. ^ Peppers, Todd C.; Ward, Artemus (2012). In Chambers: Stories of Supreme Court Law Clerks and Their Justices. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press. p. In Bruce Allen Murphy, "Fifty-two Weeks of Bootcamp". ISBN 9780813932651. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  3. ^ Douglas, William O. (1981). The Court Years, 1939-1975. New York: Vintage Books. p. 170. ISBN 0394749022. Retrieved March 11, 2017. I tried that system for a couple of years and ended up with two extraordinary men, Stanley Soderland and Vern Countryman.
  4. ^ "About Us". Thornton Mostul PLLC. Retrieved March 10, 2017. In the 1940s, attorneys John Kennett and Stanley Soderland were pioneers in developing a law firm in Seattle devoted to protecting the rights of individuals.
  5. ^ Bayley, Christopher T. (2015). Seattle Justice: The Rise and Fall of the Police Payoff System in Seattle. Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books. ISBN 978-1632170309.
  6. ^ Anderson, Ross (June 8, 2008). "The big shakedown: Going after a conspiracy". Crosscut.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  7. ^ Charles G Kimball; Stanley C Soderland, eds. (1971). King County Grand Jury report of visit to King County Jail. Seattle, WA: Prosecuting Attorney.
  8. ^ Soderland, Stanley C. (1971).Judge's desk book : Washington pattern jury instructions: civil. Seattle, WA: Seattle-King County Bar Association.
  9. ^ "Judge of the Year Award Recipients". Washington State Association for Justice. Retrieved February 11, 2017.entry for 1976, Stanley C. Soderland.
  10. ^ Rule, Ann (2000). Dead by Sunset: Perfect Husband, Perfect Killer?. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 148. ISBN 0743202775. Their divorce trial was held before Stanley Soderland, who had just been voted the most respected judge in King County, Washington.
  11. ^ "Mary Elizabeth 'Bunny' Soderland". Seattle Times. Legacy.com obituaries. April 6–7, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
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