Former Federal Way judge censured for affair with lawyer

A former judge who became intoxicated at a holiday party she threw for her office staff and then bragged about having a sexual relationship with a public defender has been censured by the state Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Colleen Hartl resigned from her position as a Federal Way Municipal Court judge a few days after the December 2007 party in which she admitted to making the "undignified" remarks.

According to a statement released by the judicial commission, Hartl's behavior at the holiday party she hosted and her participation in an intimate relationship with a lawyer who appeared before her as counsel failed to uphold the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.

The commission further said that Hartl's integrity was damaged by her attempts after the party to manage the damage of her unguarded talk and mislead the commission.

The commission has imposed a censure against Hartl, its most severe sanction, and ordered that Hartl not seek or serve in any judiciary capacity without express approval from the commission.

Hartl resigned from her seat about seven months after she was appointed by the city manager to fill a vacancy on the bench.

In other action, the commission issued an admonishment, the least serious disciplinary action available to it, to Pierce County Superior Court Judge Katherine Stolz, who wrongly required a man who appeared before her in court to remove a head covering that he said he wore for religious reasons.

The commission said the judge's error was an isolated incident and not part of a pattern.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com