PORT ANGELES — It will be an extended transition to the bench for newly elected Clallam County District Court 1 Judge Rick Porter.
Because departing Judge John Doherty has opted not to provide Porter with district court time or staffing for his transition, Porter said it will take longer for him to work into his new role as judge.
“That is his prerogative. Until Jan. 13, he’s still the judge,” Porter said of Doherty, the eight-year incumbent who Porter unseated in the November election.
“I made contact with his office, and I was told that he did not want any office staff working in any transition and that process. . . . He has every right to do that. It will make it more difficult for me, but I can work through it.”
Contacted Tuesday, Doherty, who will be returning to private practice, said he has been unable to help Porter.
“He’s had free and unfettered access to (Court Administrator) Steve Brown from the first day. We’ve been short staffed, and I can’t take the time to teach him how to do that job. . . . There is no time to drop everything to teach someone how to do his job. . . . It’s the 11th hour, and the guy is trying to learn the job.”
Porter said, regardless, his learning process will not suffer.
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