As children, almost all of us complained that something was not fair. Our parents may have tried, at first, to fix the inequity, but eventually we all learned that life is simply not fair. Most of us accepted it. Matthew York decided to try and change it; he decided to make a difference in his community, to work to make it more just.
Matthew grew up in southern Nevada and started college on a music scholarship. The money ran out, however, and Matthew had to leave school. For four years he worked manual labor and customer service jobs, including two summers working road construction under the hot Las Vegas sun and cashiering at a convenience store. He later worked his way up to a manager position at one of the local Century theater complexes.
In 1996, Matthew was finally able to return to school, leaving Las Vegas to attend the University of Nevada, Reno. While there, Matthew joined the speech and debate team, competing twice at the national competition for parliamentary debate; a debate style that required participants to think on their feet and argue any issue from every side. Thanks in part to his success at the national level, Matthew received the Robert Griffin award, an honor bestowed on the best speaker in the University of Nevada system. In 1999, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, with a minor in Criminal Justice.
This time, there was no break for Matthew as he went directly from earning his Bachelor's degree to seeking his Juris Doctorate from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. His interest in diversity and other cultures inspired him to study during the summer halfway around the world, at the East China University of Politics and Law.
At Willamette, Matthew was one of only 16 students selected to participate in a specialized intensive training that focused on trial, arbitration, and mediation, with additional instruction in impartial mediation. During this extensive program, Matthew utilized his ability to think outside the box and see all points of view, creating resolutions that were fair and reasonable. For this, he received a Certificate of Dispute Resolution.
Always striving for excellence, Matthew graduated in the top fifteen percent of his class. The highlight of Matthew's time at Willamette, however, came toward the end of his first year there, when he met a delightful undergraduate from the theater department. Despite having to leave for China shortly after they started dating, his relationship with her grew, and the summer after they both graduated Matthew and Jennifer were married.
Matthew began his legal career at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office with a successful internship in 2001, during which he participated in an impressive 16 trials, including one felony--experience that most interns do not get. The next year, the late Norm Maleng, the duly-elected King County Prosecutor of seven terms, offered Matthew a job, an offer he was pleased and humbled to accept.
Matthew has worked to expand his knowledge and proficiency during his rotations with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's office. He first worked in the district and juvenile courts. While serving in the juvenile unit, Matthew's proven track record led the Office to entrust him with a murder case, which he successfully saw through from filing to verdict.
After that came rotations with the drug unit, the filing unit, trial teams, and the case development unit. As a member of the Filing Unit, Matthew garnered valuable skills in the process, procedure, and legal requirements for filing decisions in all types of cases. As a member of the drug unit and trial teams Matthew served as lead council on many criminal felony cases.
As part of his continuing legal education, Matthew participated in a course entitled Diversity: Getting Ahead and Giving Back. This course was devoted to understanding the difficulties of minorities and women working as professionals in the legal system. He also volunteered to be the office representative for the Cracks in the Justice System diversity conference, which focused on the inequities minorities in the justice system face. In both the class and at the conference, Matthew focused on solutions that were inclusive, recognizing that no single group can solve these issues on their own.
Matthew currently serves in the Special Prosecutor's Unit where he has worked alongside the Valley Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Eastside Narcotics Task Force, safeguarding the constitutional sanctity of each investigation under his supervision. Reviewing numerous warrants each month with a discerning eye, Matthew ensures proper process has been followed before allowing the document to go before a judge. Due to Matthew's specialized knowledge, he was sought out by the Drug Enforcement Agency, as well as many local agencies, to conduct special training on both procedure and search and seizure laws. Additionally, he has been instrumental in forming new policy for the Prosecutor's Office and the police department in areas such as witness protection.
Matthew's concern for seeing justice done has led him to form mutually respectful, professional relationships with defense attorneys and victims' advocates alike. His in-depth understanding of search and seizure laws, Miranda Rights and evidence admissibility have made his advice sought after by every local law enforcement agency in King County.
Matthew willingly shares his passion for his work with the community. He has guest lectured in a criminal justice class at Kitsap Community College and assisted in the formation of a speech and debate team at Seattle Community College. For the last two years, he has also donated time to help the local chapter of the Police Explorers run their mock trial program.
In his personal life, Matthew has participated in local community theatre and this year he is volunteering as a crew member for the Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day benefiting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and National Philanthropic Trust; while his wife walks the event for the second time.
Since September of 2008, Matthew has served as a municipal court judge pro tem, regularly filling in for sitting judges. This experience has prepared Matthew to step into the courtroom with all the qualifications and preparation needed on day one.
Life is not fair, but we do not have to just accept it. Electing a qualified, experienced and well rounded judge is one of the ways we can ensure that our legal system runs properly. With your vote Matthew York will be that judge. His focus on justice, equitability and fair-mindedness, as well as his years of experience in criminal law make him the most qualified candidate to serve Federal Way as municipal court judge.