Clark County Superior Court Judge James Rulli will retire in May

Clark County Superior Court Judge James E. Rulli is retiring in the spring after serving more than two decades on the bench.

Rulli, 70, notified Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday of his decision to step down effective May 1, according to a press release issued Monday by presiding Superior Court Judge Scott Collier.

The governor’s office will be seeking applications for Rulli’s successor; his current term ends in 2020. Notice of the judicial vacancy had not yet been posted on the governor’s website as of Monday morning.

Superior Court judges are elected. After someone is appointed to the position, they will need to file for candidacy the week of May 13 to 17 to run for the unexpired term. If they are elected in November, they will retain the position and would then have to run for re-election in November 2020 to a full four-year term, according to Clark County Elections Supervisor Cathie Garber. For more information about the judicial appointment process, visit the governor’s website.

Rulli attended Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland. He served as a court commissioner from 1992 to 1995 and was appointed to the bench in 1996 by then-Gov. Mike Lowry. Rulli served as presiding judge — supervising the judicial business of the court — from April 2015 through December 2017, according to the press release.

In 1999, he helped establish the first adult felony drug treatment court. Rulli established a similar program in 2007 for juveniles with alcohol and substance abuse problems.