News Jun 27, 2012

Does His Name Sound Too Mexican?

How a Highly Qualified Justice's Last Name Could Cost Him the Election Against an Unqualified—but Anglo—Opponent

by Eli Sanders

Comments

1
I was a juror in Judge Gonzales' court in King County shortly before his Supreme Court nomination.

He was a fine judge. Sharp, empathetic to the jurors and all parties, and had a wonderful demeanor that suits the position.

He is also very qualified by experience and credentials. He is not playing the race card in his work.

Check out his site:

http://www.justicegonzalez.com/meet-stev…

It would be a travesty if he were to lose based upon the sound of his name. I hope that he and his supporters can get the word out on how qualified he is.
Park Place on June 27, 2012 at 12:17 PM · Report this
2
Been a good judge so far.

Not sure I buy your argument.
Will in Seattle on June 27, 2012 at 1:03 PM · Report this
3
voters are probably racist, news at 11.

go read the times comments ( for nearly any story ) if you need a refresher on this non starter.
meanie on June 27, 2012 at 2:23 PM · Report this
4
That works both ways. I live in a community that is 70% Latino. Where I live Anglos have the same problem.
Topanga Mike on June 27, 2012 at 2:33 PM · Report this
5
Charles Johnson, an obscure lawyer, indeed defeated long time incumbant Keith Callow. Johnson barely campaigned. The press decided it was because Callow had a weird name and Johnson didn't. Some said they voted for Johnson because he was a good judge. There was understandable albeit ignorant confusion. At the time there was a respected African American King County Superior Court judge named Charles V. Johnson who wasn't running for the Supreme Court.
Algernon on June 27, 2012 at 4:24 PM · Report this
6
Johnson has served 12 years on the Supreme Court and proven to be a capable jurist.

The elephant in the room is the stranger and other groups racial profiling this election. Vote for the person regardless of skin color or ethnicity.
TruthfulScribe on June 27, 2012 at 4:52 PM · Report this
7
Gonzales deserves election. I've appeared in front of him before, and his demeanor and legal knowledge are first-rate.

There is a website called http://www.votingforjudges.org that deserves more recognition.
E Powell on June 27, 2012 at 5:15 PM · Report this
8
I've read this and Cienna's post but I kind of doubt this is a serious issue. Unless you can provide evidence that this is really going to at all affect the election I think it is equally fair to say as many hispanics will vote for him based on his name as ignorant white people will vote against.

Mainly, I just think he is too popular to lose because of this. I mean... People voted for Rossi... And I'm sure someone that ignorant could debate what ethnicity that was all day long.

I'd like to also point out the only statistics you use are that Gonzalez has raised 185K to 0K.

I understand most people vote for reasons as dumb as a last name, but I also think those same people could vote for Gonzalez for just a stupid reason, like he looks better in the picture.

Just like to end with, you COULD be entirely right, but there is literally no evidence of it yet.
michael bell on June 27, 2012 at 6:49 PM · Report this
9
Interesting. Danielson made false claims that he had judicial experience in his last election campaign.
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/oct/1…
curtisp on June 27, 2012 at 7:07 PM · Report this
11
Too bad; I default to voting for people with non-Anglo names if I know nothing about the race or have no preference otherwise as a personal affirmative action policy.
John Horstman on June 28, 2012 at 10:08 AM · Report this
12
Eli Sanders, Pultizer Winner: Gonzalez was not the first Hispanic justice. We had a guy with a Cuban background.
on June 28, 2012 at 10:12 AM · Report this
13
In the mid 90s, for one instance, when still-Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez changed her last name from something not-hispanic immediately before the election, it was THE outrage on Limbaugh type radio for an entire year. To frame the story as simple as you did, well... I would agree a more appropriate story that doesn't make you seem mindlessly partisan would be to focus on the voters are racist angle, all voters, not just whites. But them too. And more than racist, just stupid as fuck and irresponsible citizens.
PanWhale on June 28, 2012 at 3:50 PM · Report this
14
Would you rather have the people elect judges or allow a cabal of politicians and bar association muckety mucks do the electing for you?
drinkup on June 28, 2012 at 4:39 PM · Report this
15
Appointing judges for sure, lot less problems that way.
Seattle14 on June 28, 2012 at 8:52 PM · Report this
16
quit playing the race card. win on merit and reputation. that's what this country is about.
Americano on June 29, 2012 at 12:21 AM · Report this
17
Fundraisers for Gonzales will be held by Rep. Phyllis Kenney and Larry Kenney on Sunday, July 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. and by the Metropolitan Democratic Club of Seattle (MDC) on Tuesday, July 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. Details of each will appear on the MDC website, www.metrodems.org.
justinsimmons on June 29, 2012 at 10:17 AM · Report this
18
Nothing against Judge Gonzales, but he was appointed. It is disturbing and disgusting to read such diatribe against Mr. Danielson. With a bit of research, one might find, Mr. Danielson is not only well-qualified, but is of a high moral character and keen intellect. Mr. Danielson has more to offer than his Anglo-Saxon name. We might do well to elect one who is not a pawn of the political system, one who does believe in the CONSTITUTION, one representing the people.
on June 29, 2012 at 11:22 AM · Report this
19
@12: You're right. Thanks, and fixed.
Eli Sanders on June 29, 2012 at 2:35 PM · Stranger Staff
20
Ignorance masked as liberal multiculturalism.

Um, Mexico is not the only place where people have Spanish last names...

Also Mexican is a nationality, not a race, you will find people of all races in Mexico.
Cascadian Bacon on June 29, 2012 at 4:13 PM · Report this
21
@18: Evidence of Danielson's keen intellect is strangely absent in this video he made in support of his failed run for Kitsap County judge.

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%…
on June 29, 2012 at 4:46 PM · Report this
22
I would be terribly disappointed if this was to be the case. I had an amazing interview with Judge Gonzales as part of a training program and found him to be a fantastic sharp, whip-smart, emphathetic, selfless judge and leader.

We need more not only more leaders like Judge Gonzales, we need more citizens.
mountainsun on June 29, 2012 at 5:50 PM · Report this
23
I would be terribly disappointed if this was to be the case. I had an amazing interview with Judge Gonzales as part of a training program and found him to be a fantastic sharp, whip-smart, emphathetic, selfless judge and leader.

We need more not only more leaders like Judge Gonzales, we need more citizens.
mountainsun on June 29, 2012 at 5:55 PM · Report this
24
Maybe we should return to appointed judges and do away with judicial elections. Seems to me few voters care or make the effort to find out about the candidates, even when pamphlets are available.
livewirenot on June 29, 2012 at 6:40 PM · Report this
25
I've always thought it was a bad move to introduce judicial elections. Then again, appointing judges can lead to nepotism. What's worse, nepotism or an uninformed and/or racist electorate?
livewirenot on June 29, 2012 at 6:45 PM · Report this
26
My family has a funny sounding, but of English origin as far back as anyone can see. One of my uncles lost an election because of his funny sounding name. To be fair this was Texas and he was a crook, but so was the guy who beat him.
Bert Chadick on June 29, 2012 at 6:51 PM · Report this
27
Judge Engelbert Humperdinck doesn't stand a chance.
LMNOP on June 30, 2012 at 12:46 AM · Report this
28
As lilly white a Norsky as they come and I think Gonzalez would have been a far better candidate for governor than the one the D's are running. That said, he is such an outstanding jurist that he stands to be one of Gov. Gregoire's most significant legacies.

If the voters of the State of Washington fail this test, we are lost. Just elect Eyman governor and get it over with.
ThinkClearly on June 30, 2012 at 9:45 AM · Report this
29
This sounds like a totally legit argument and I would vote for him if I knew how, where, or when. I'm 25 and I have no idea how to vote. Help?
on July 1, 2012 at 1:11 PM · Report this
30
This is really offensive.

What you are pointing out is not so much that Gonzalez has a latin name, but that he might lose even though he is white! Oh the horror of a white person losing because of something as arbitrary as a last name! That's only acceptable if he were actually a minority...
fetish on July 1, 2012 at 2:59 PM · Report this
31
All I've heard on Facebook for the past six months is "Vote for Gonzalez, Vote for Gonzalez!" without giving me one valid reason to do so.

For this reason, and this reason only, I will vote for the white guy.

Hey Gonzalez, here's a tip: stop having over-zealous Facebook females pimp your name every ten seconds and try giving us a good reason to vote for you.
on July 1, 2012 at 7:48 PM · Report this
32
Ignorance and apathy are the greatest threats to our democracy. Take personal responsibility for educating yourself.

Custom King County Local Voters Pamphlet:

https://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/vo…

Registered voters enter first & last name and D.O.B., then click Create My Guide
Abdul Alhazred on July 3, 2012 at 9:06 AM · Report this
33
Custom King County Local Voters Pamphlet:

https://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/vo…

Registered voters enter first & last name and D.O.B., then click Create My Guide
Abdul Alhazred on July 3, 2012 at 9:25 AM · Report this
34
@helpless

July 9 : Last day to register to vote or update address before primary.

Register to vote at:
http://www.kingcounty.gov/elections/regi…
Abdul Alhazred on July 3, 2012 at 9:31 AM · Report this
35
@ fetish - why do you think Gonzalez is white? Because he is so light skinned? The article clearly states that he is Mexican-American. I am African-American and light as cream with a splash of coffee. Oh, the comments & questions I've heard over the years! People sure can be ignorant about race and skin color.

And why do folks always bring up playing the race card? Let's not put our heads in the sand because racism isn't as deep as it once was. It's still there, just under the surface. Those who think others are using this so called 'race card' are just an excuse for not wanting to find out the ugly truth.
on July 6, 2012 at 11:23 AM · Report this
36
I worked with Justice Gonzalez for a number of years in private practice, and have followed his career closely since then. He is an intelligent, principled, and devoted public servant. I can't imagine a finer person for the position, and I hope the people of Washington have enough sense to agree with me.
WAandVA on July 8, 2012 at 1:10 PM · Report this
37
Awesome. You know, you could run this story in just about any major city in the US and it would be fine. Do it in Seattle, and everyone's all, "WHOOOOA, HEY, reverse racism!! I don't *see* color! The only racist person is you, for bringing this uncomfortable subject to light!"
on July 24, 2012 at 4:11 AM · Report this