Kirkland's new Community Court program
May 03, 2021
Judge John Olson of Kirkland Municipal Court
Kirkland's new Community Court program
John Olson is the presiding Judge in Kirkland Municipal Court, which has been working for the past year to develop a Community Court program for Kirkland.  Community Court is a problem-solving approach to criminal activity that addresses underlying quality of life challenges that contribute to non-violent criminal activity.  Judge Olson will discuss with Rotarians how the new court came to be, the first Community Court calendar that took place on March 10, 2021, and looks forward to club members’ questions.
 
Judge John Olson was appointed to the Kirkland Municipal Court by the Kirkland City Council in December 2019.  He began his legal career over 30 years ago as a prosecutor with the King County Prosecutor’s Office, and then as a prosecutor and assistant city attorney with the city of Bellevue.  In 1990, Judge Olson joined the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) as an associate executive director and legal counsel, and he remained there until 2019.  Prior to practicing law, Judge Olson was a teacher and coach in the Auburn School District from 1979 to 1987.
 
Judge Olson was raised in Shoreline and graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in 1977 and a master’s degree in 1981.  He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Puget Sound in 1987.  Judge Olson is a proud member of the Kirkland Kiwanis, and has lived in East King and Snohomish Counties with his wife of 37 years, where they have raised three adult children.