113:
192:. A former judicial colleague did not agree with Buzzard's concerns about courthouse security and did not think he needed a firearm to protect himself. Judge Buzzard stated that he carried his gun mainly for the walk from the parking lot to the courthouse building. He did not carry it on the bench and was "not roaming the halls with it." Buzzard later began keeping his firearm in safe at the courthouse.
199:
In 2018, Buzzard personally intervened in a fight that erupted in his courtroom after a civil defendant punched an attorney. Buzzard responded to the assault by descending from the bench and physically restraining the man. The following year, Buzzard again descended from the bench to give chase after
187:
Buzzard was the subject of considerable criticism in 2018 by a former court employee who accused him of drinking alcohol in his judge's chambers, and for leaving his firearm in an unlocked drawer of his desk. According to
Buzzard, he kept the firearm for personal protection as one of his judicial
200:
two criminal suspects attempted to escape his courtroom. When the two men fled, Buzzard ripped off his judicial robe and pursued the suspects through the courthouse, ultimately grappling and restraining one of the two. The second man was later apprehended by deputies of the Lewis County
Sheriff.
195:
Buzzard has criticized the lack of security in the judicial facilities of
Washington which have a high rate of courtroom violence; the state has the eighth greatest number of annual courtroom security incidents in the United States, eclipsing even that of New York despite the latter state having
315:
490:
465:
485:
282:
144:
480:
470:
251:
209:
375:
165:
161:
403:
340:
225:
148:
85:
169:
76:
124:
37:
475:
181:
140:
128:
180:
R.W. Buzzard was admitted to the bar in 2000. In 2003, he was appointed to the municipal court of
189:
67:
112:
436:
89:
431:
184:
and, the following year, was elected to the bench of the Lewis County
District Court.
459:
139:
R.W. Buzzard is the son of Steve
Buzzard, a former judge of the municipal court of
152:
71:
62:
213:
156:
123:
is an
American jurist who, as of 2019, is a judge of the District Court of
380:
404:"Judge chases inmates who tried escaping from courtroom, catches 1"
111:
100:
316:"Lewis County Judge Drank Alcohol in Chambers, Kept Gun in Desk"
143:, and Missy Buzzard, the town's former mayor. He graduated from
376:"Judge stops attack on lawyer; says court needs video cameras"
80:
432:"Judge chases prisoners, nabs one during attempted escape"
283:"The new Buzz…ard around city hall is sworn in as judge"
341:"Washington State County Courthouse Security Report"
96:
61:
53:
48:
35:
21:
188:duties was to ride circuit to the remote town of
8:
18:
309:
307:
305:
303:
276:
274:
272:
491:Seattle University School of Law alumni
252:"Newly elected judge steps up to bench"
245:
243:
241:
237:
210:Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
369:
367:
365:
314:Johnson, Natalie (February 13, 2018).
466:Washington (state) state court judges
196:three times Washington's population.
116:The historic Lewis County Courthouse.
7:
486:Eastern Washington University alumni
426:
424:
350:. Superior Court Judges’ Association
250:Decker, Sharyn (November 19, 2004).
216:. He is married with two children.
402:La Rosa, Leah (October 24, 2018).
14:
481:City University of Seattle alumni
471:People from Centralia, Washington
166:Master of Business Administration
374:Home, Deborah (April 30, 2018).
281:Wilber, Amanda (July 14, 2003).
162:Seattle University School of Law
226:Washington State Supreme Court
1:
149:Eastern Washington University
86:Eastern Washington University
208:Buzzard is a member of the
507:
170:City University of Seattle
77:City University of Seattle
106:
44:
31:
135:Early life and education
127:, a rural county in the
117:
182:Centralia, Washington
151:, and later earned a
145:Centralia High School
115:
141:Chehalis, Washington
129:state of Washington
440:. October 24, 2018
190:Morton, Washington
118:
68:Seattle University
110:
109:
498:
450:
449:
447:
445:
437:Associated Press
428:
419:
418:
416:
414:
399:
393:
392:
390:
388:
371:
360:
359:
357:
355:
345:
337:
331:
330:
328:
326:
311:
298:
297:
295:
293:
278:
267:
266:
264:
262:
247:
164:. He also has a
49:Personal details
19:
506:
505:
501:
500:
499:
497:
496:
495:
456:
455:
454:
453:
443:
441:
430:
429:
422:
412:
410:
401:
400:
396:
386:
384:
373:
372:
363:
353:
351:
343:
339:
338:
334:
324:
322:
320:Daily Chronicle
313:
312:
301:
291:
289:
287:Daily Chronicle
280:
279:
270:
260:
258:
256:Daily Chronicle
249:
248:
239:
234:
222:
206:
178:
137:
84:
75:
27:
24:
17:
16:American jurist
12:
11:
5:
504:
502:
494:
493:
488:
483:
478:
473:
468:
458:
457:
452:
451:
420:
394:
361:
332:
299:
268:
236:
235:
233:
230:
229:
228:
221:
218:
205:
202:
177:
174:
136:
133:
108:
107:
104:
103:
98:
94:
93:
65:
59:
58:
55:
51:
50:
46:
45:
42:
41:
40:District Court
33:
32:
29:
28:
25:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
503:
492:
489:
487:
484:
482:
479:
477:
476:Living people
474:
472:
469:
467:
464:
463:
461:
439:
438:
433:
427:
425:
421:
409:
405:
398:
395:
383:
382:
377:
370:
368:
366:
362:
349:
348:courts.wa.gov
342:
336:
333:
321:
317:
310:
308:
306:
304:
300:
288:
284:
277:
275:
273:
269:
257:
253:
246:
244:
242:
238:
231:
227:
224:
223:
219:
217:
215:
211:
204:Personal life
203:
201:
197:
193:
191:
185:
183:
175:
173:
171:
167:
163:
159:
158:
154:
150:
146:
142:
134:
132:
130:
126:
122:
114:
105:
102:
99:
95:
91:
87:
82:
78:
73:
69:
66:
64:
60:
57:United States
56:
52:
47:
43:
39:
36:Judge of the
34:
30:
20:
444:November 22,
442:. Retrieved
435:
413:November 22,
411:. Retrieved
407:
397:
387:November 22,
385:. Retrieved
379:
354:November 22,
352:. Retrieved
347:
335:
325:November 22,
323:. Retrieved
319:
292:November 22,
290:. Retrieved
286:
261:November 22,
259:. Retrieved
255:
207:
198:
194:
186:
179:
155:
153:Juris Doctor
138:
125:Lewis County
121:R.W. Buzzard
120:
119:
38:Lewis County
26:R.W. Buzzard
54:Citizenship
460:Categories
232:References
97:Profession
63:Alma mater
214:Methodist
160:from the
157:cum laude
408:ABC News
220:See also
381:KIRO-TV
212:and is
176:Career
344:(PDF)
168:from
101:Judge
446:2019
415:2019
389:2019
356:2019
327:2019
294:2019
263:2019
147:and
90:B.A.
72:J.D.
23:Hon.
81:MBA
462::
434:.
423:^
406:.
378:.
364:^
346:.
318:.
302:^
285:.
271:^
254:.
240:^
172:.
131:.
448:.
417:.
391:.
358:.
329:.
296:.
265:.
92:)
88:(
83:)
79:(
74:)
70:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
