Washington: Recall effort against State Senator goes to judge

The ongoing recall effort against state Senator Doug Ericksen (R) will now be heard by a Whatcom Superior Court Judge, who will rule if there is a cause of action for the recall (Washington is a malfeasance standard/judicial recall state, therefore there must be a decision on whether the recall meets a set criteria of misbehavior to go forward). Ericksen has been working as the EPA's communications lead for the Trump transition team.

If a recall got to the ballot, petitioners would need 18,600 signatures in six months. The replacement would be appointed by the County Council from a list of three names handed in by the Whatcom County Republican Party. If the recall takes place before May 15, there will be a replacement race in 2017 -- if after, the race waits until 2018.