Golly, I'd forgotten all about Judge Little. At about that same time, there was a crazy guy who killed his wife in the courthouse, a window washer who saw a judge having sexytimes in his chamber with somebody, and a Public Defender who was having sex with one of her defendants (those last two might be the same). And who can forget Mary Kay Letourneau, the SPS teacher who had the affair with (and eventually married) one of her 6th grade students.

Mary Kay Letourneau was arrested in the mid/late 90s. I was in school at the time and my math teacher had the same last name so it was a pretty memorable year.

You're right tbass1981 dear. It was 1997. When one gets older, the years all mash together.

And not only that, she was a teacher in the Highline District, not Seattle.

Horrible. Seems like we have a culture here where powerful people protect their powerful friend and political allies despite horrific allegations.

PRIME EXAMPLE (this is not my wording by a cut and paste from a news story)

Senator Jamie Pedersen's (Seattle) steadfast support of Senator and Mayor Ed Murray--is a prime example. Take a read at how hard Jamie Pedersen worked to protect Ed Murray and disregard the cries of the people who claim they were raped and molested by Ed Murray

In 2017, Seattle’s establishment was rocked when Mayor Ed Murray faced multiple allegations of child sexual abuse. Several men accused him of abusing them as minors in the 1980s, and records revealed that Oregon had barred him from being a foster parent due to similar concerns. Though Murray denied everything, after his cousin came forward as a victim, the mounting allegations forced his resignation.

At first, Democratic leaders, including state Senator Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle), now Senate Majority Leader, defended Murray, downplaying the accusations and emphasizing his years of public service. But as the scandal grew, they eventually abandoned him—only when it became politically necessary.

Murray’s downfall exposed the hypocrisy of Seattle’s political elite, who protected one of their own until the truth became impossible to ignore.

Pedersen was Murray's most loyal defender, and at the time told the Seattle Times that his constituents demanded that he retract previous statements, in which he called the disgraced politician a good lawmaker and mayor. Pedersen refused and told the outlet that Murray was “a human being, just like the rest of us … made of a unique combination of attributes and faults.”

Pedersen said Murray’s work should be recognized, adding, “I would strongly disagree with the idea that his legacy of public service can be erased by these allegations — even if they are true. There are a whole lot of people in Washington who enjoy employment and nondiscrimination protections that they would not have had — or wouldn’t have had as quickly — but for his leadership.”

He also told the outlet, “…no matter what happened 30 years ago, what I do know to be true is that he’s been a great mayor for this city. We should have had another four years, maybe eight years, of his talent for this city. Now we won’t.”

For years, Democratic Senator Jamie Pedersen stonewalled efforts to eliminate the statute of limitations on felony sex crimes in Washington, despite overwhelming bipartisan support. In 2018, a bill to remove these limits passed the House 90-8, only to be stopped in Pedersen’s committee. He argued that only murder should have no statute of limitations, dismissing concerns that trauma often delays victims from coming forward. Pedersen only relented after mounting public pressure, supporting a weaker compromise in 2019 that merely extended, rather than eliminated, the time limits. His obstruction protected predators at the expense of survivors—raising serious questions about his priorities, especially given his past defense of disgraced Seattle Mayor Ed Murray amid child sex abuse allegations.

As chair of the Law and Justice Committee in the Washington Senate, Pedersen, who has discretion on what legislation the committee hears, stated that he would not hear this bill. He said, “Human beings deserve to go on with their lives. We have statutes of limitation in every area of the law with the exception of murder. I think that special status is appropriate in cases of murder.”

Rep. Dan Griffey (R-Shelton), the bill’s prime sponsor said, “The pain and hurt of these crimes don’t go away. They are life long sentences.”

The Stranger has also been a huge supporter of Sen. Jamie Pedersen. This article calls that support into questions.

Oh my, SeattleLove, those politicians sound dreadful. Almost as bad as Christian clergy and cops.

(Everybody knows that cops are perverts. Most of them are child molesters, especially those who have daughters).