Seattle Municipal Court Judge Ron Mamiya today was censured by the state

Published 7:00 am Friday, August 7, 2009

Seattle Municipal Court Judge Ron Mamiya today was censured by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct for having a consensual sexual affair with a court employee. The judge and employee worked out a $135,000 legal settlement last November, according to a March report in the Times. “I want to acknowledge my horrible lapse in judgment,” Mamiya said then. “I have no excuse…” Mamiya was married at the time of the affair, but he and his wife have since filed for divorce. A censure is a relatively light punishment, but the commission says Mamiya has cooperated fully with an investigation and promised to not repeat the canon violation. Mamiya, 59, has been a city judge since 1981.