Estudillo gets seat on federal bench
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 6 months AGO
Estudillo
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | September 15, 2021 1:07 AM
EPHRATA — Grant County Superior Court Judge David Estudillo has been confirmed for a seat on the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington.
The U.S. Senate determined Estudillo’s nomination by a 54-41 vote Tuesday. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, announced the confirmation in an email released Tuesday. Estudillo was nominated by President Joe Biden in May.
Estudillo was appointed to a vacant seat on the Grant County Superior Court by Gov. Jay Inslee in 2015, replacing a retired judge, Evan Sperline. He ran for election for a full term in 2016, won, and was elected for a second term in 2020.
Currently, he is the superior court presiding judge and is president of the Washington Superior Court Judges Association.
Estudillo was born and raised in Sunnyside, according to a 2015 profile in the Herald. Members of his family own Estudillo Foods in Royal City and Mattawa, as well as the original store started by Estudillo’s father in Sunnyside. His parents immigrated from Mexico as agricultural laborers before becoming small business owners.
Estudillo is a graduate of the University of Washington and the UW law school and was admitted to the bar in 1999. He opened his own law firm in 2005, which had offices in both eastern and western Washington, including Moses Lake. His firm specialized in general civil litigation and immigration.
Inslee will appoint Estudillo’s replacement. Applications are submitted to the governor’s general counsel, which reviews all applications and conducts interviews with qualified candidates. The finalists will be interviewed by Inslee.
Once a new judge is appointed, he or she will serve until the next superior court election, which would be 2022.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.