Former Cheney attorney elevated to judgeship

Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Donald J. Richter — a former public defender with the Cheney Municipal Court — to Pacific and Wahkiakum County Superior Court. He replaces Judge Doug Goelz, who will retire at the end of the year.

Richter spent the past four and a half years as a deputy county prosecutor in Pacific and Cowlitz Counties, most recently working as the chief deputy prosecutor in Pacific County. In his current role, he has helped stand up and support a successful drug court that benefits both the participants and the community as a whole.

Before that, he worked as a criminal defense attorney and prosecutor in Spokane County. When he worked as a legal intern in the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Richter performed extensive pro bono work as a member of the Volunteer Lawyer Program, assisting individuals in a broad range of family law matters. 

“Don has earned a solid reputation among his peers as a compassionate, thoughtful attorney with a big heart and strong sense of justice,” Inslee said in a Dec. 18 news release. “He has a wealth of trial experience, and I look forward to him continuing his public service in Pacific and Wahkiakum Counties.”

In a Dec. 18 email, Cheney Municipal Court Commissioner Terri Cooper said Richter first began serving as while in law school, and after passing the Washington State Bar Exam, held the public defender’s contract in Cheney from 2008 – 2014.

“He was an excellent lawyer, hard working, compassionate, even tempered and exceptionally intelligent,” Cooper said. “Family man and all around good person. He truly deserves this appointment.”

Richter earned his law degree from Gonzaga University in Spokane and bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University. He is heavily involved in his community in north Pacific County.

He will begin his court position in early 2019.