Ethics
Pro tem judge ousted for creating fake parking document using court seal
The Washington Supreme Court unanimously voted Thursday to oust a pro tempore judge who forged a court document to save $10 on daily parking. (Image from the Washington Commission on Judicial Conduct’s May 13, 2025, censure document)
The Washington Supreme Court unanimously voted Thursday to oust a pro tempore judge who forged a court document to save $10 on daily parking.
Then-Judge Pro Tempore David Ruzumna, a substitute judge since 2013 who heard cases in King County and Snohomish County in Washinton, initially tried using his name placard and judicial robe to prove that he was a court employee. But he was rejected by the parking attendant in 2023.
He then used the court’s seal and the signature stamp of Judge Rebecca C. Robertson of the King County District Court in Washington to forge a document that affirmed his title, according to coverage by Law360.
King County employees receive $10 off their parking when they show their badge or “some other qualifying proof,” according to Law360. Ruzumna admitted to creating the document, but he said it was done as a joke.
“Honesty and integrity are among the most critical traits expected of those entrusted with judicial office,” the high court justices wrote. “Judge Pro Tem Ruzumna’s violations warrant the sanction of removal.”
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