Satterberg (Image: King County)

There will be a complete changing of the guard in how King County and Seattle prosecutes crimes. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg has announced he will not seek reelection after 14 years and four terms in office marked by a balanced approach to prosecution that included relatively progressive approaches including diversion programs and reforms.

In his announcement, Satterberg acknowledged the massive backlog of felony cases the prosecutor’s office must try to make progress on in 2022 after pandemic closures and restrictions left courts shuttered.

“In many ways, this is the most important year of my service, with our team facing multiple challenges due to the pandemic. It will also be my last year with the office,” Satterberg said. “After four terms, I have decided to not seek re-election this year. I have 358 days left in my term. I am determined to finish well. Over the next 12 months we will cement the gains and the innovations and adaptations from the last 15 years. We’ll also look for the positive lessons that we have learned during this time of COVID.”

The announcement will give candidates five months to decide to throw their hats in the ring before the May filing deadline for the summer primary.

In Seattle, 2022 also brought a change in the legal guard as Pete Holmes lost his bid for a fourth term leading the City Attorney’s office. CHS reported here on the early changes to the office from new City Attorney Ann Davison as she embarks on meeting her campaign goals of overhauling Seattle’s approach to prosecuting lower level misdemeanor crimes and its civil litigation.

Who will step up to join the race to claim Satterberg’s office remains to be seen. In 2018, he faced opposition from Daron Morris before the challenger dropped out of the race due to health issues, leaving Satterberg to run unopposed. Morris, a longtime public defender, died in 2019.

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