Chapter 21

• Jurisdiction: United States

Chapter 21 Back at Third and James

"He Was the Heart and Soul of Justice"

Nancy and I attended the memorial service for Norm Maleng at the University of Washington's Hec Edmundson Pavilion, where more than a thousand people from King County and beyond were gathered. Governor Christine Gregoire put it well, "He was everybody's mentor.... From Norm, you would always learn something. It was his best judgment, and it was always right on. He was the heart and soul of justice."

When we returned to Seattle in 2004, one of my first trips downtown was to the King County Courthouse on Third and James. I went there to reconnect with Norm, who was still the prosecutor. I was seeking his counsel and advice concerning what I should do next. I was considering teaching at a law school. As always, Norm was supportive and offered to help in any way he could. He urged me to look into teaching at the University of Washington Law school, his alma mater.

Three years later on May 24, 2007, Norm was attending a Nordic heritage event at the University of Washington. He had a cardiac arrest and collapsed. He was rushed by medics to Harborview Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead that evening. At the time of Norm's untimely death at the age of only 68, he had been the King County prosecutor for 28 years.

Sure, they have officially memorialized him, naming the court facility in south King County the "Norm Meleng Regional Justice Center," and there is a display case with his picture in it on the second floor of the King County Courthouse dedicated to him, but for those of us who knew him, the memories of him are the real memorials.

Daniel T. Satterberg

In 1985, when I was the Chief of the Criminal Division, I had plans to hire six deputy prosecutors to start work in the fall of 1985. Firm offers of employment were made to seven people. At the top of my list and my number one candidate was Mark Larson, later my successor as chief deputy. On the contingent list of other potential hires was Dan Satterberg. Whether you believe in fate or some being up there looking down and making things turn out right, the reality was that one of the candidates who had received a firm offer declined it, and Dan accepted an offer to become a King County deputy prosecuting attorney.

Norm's natural successor as a duly elected King County prosecutor was Dan Satterberg, his long-term chief of staff for seventeen years. Dan had been mentored by the best and has the sense and sensibilities that Norm passed on to him. He was elected prosecutor in 2007. Dan has been reelected over and over. He has been married for over thirty years and has two grown children. Dan also plays bass and sings in a classic rock cover band, "The Approximations."

Dan has been a crusader—a reformer like his two predecessors—Chris and Norm. He has championed change in the criminal justice system. He strives to do the right and just thing. He has advocated for clemency for incarcerated persistent offenders, whom he believes are deserving of release from prison. He has gone to the legislature seeking change in the law on justifiable homicide by law enforcement officers. He co-founded the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program He has had a successful career as King County Prosecutor.

Seattle University School of Law

When we got back to Seattle, rather than seeking a job at the University of Washington Law School, as Norm had suggested, I chose working at Seattle University School of Law or it chose me. I had a previous connection to SU Law School because back in the mid-eighties when I was still the Chief Criminal Deputy, two SU law professors, Marilyn J. Berger and John B. Mitchell, asked me if I would be a co-author with them to write a pretrial advocacy book. I believe that I was the second choice. They first approached SU law school professor Dave Boerner, former chief deputy and my boss, but he declined the offer and suggested that they ask me for reasons I'll never understand. I was named an Adjunct Professor, became a co-author, and in 1988, our first book Pretrial Advocacy: Planning, Analysis, and Strategies was published by Wolters Kluwer.

I was delighted to accept the teaching position at Seattle University Law School because this was an opportunity to give to the students what I did not get when I was in law school —practical training in how to be a trial lawyer. Some of my students go on to be prosecutors and defense lawyers in the criminal justice system and others become civil trial lawyers, and they have a firm foundation for skilled and ethical practice. Teaching is how I continue to try to make a difference.

Marilyn Berger was the head of the law school's Comprehensive Trial Advocacy Program, and she asked me to join the SU Law faculty. She also convinced the administration to hire me and give me the undeserved title of "Distinguished Practitioner in Residence." Part of the motivation to hire me was undoubtedly so that John, Marilyn, and I could pick up where we left off writing...