Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley and chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, offered this statement on Justice Jim Johnson’s final day as a member of the state Supreme Court:

“Justice Johnson has served the people of Washington well. I wish he felt up to finishing out the nearly three years left in his term. However, between two decades as an assistant attorney general and nine years on our state’s high court, wrapped around private-practice work that resulted in some of our state’s most important voter initiatives, he certainly has earned the right to step away today in favor of his health and family.

“When Justice Johnson was a candidate for the Supreme Court in 2004 he promised that he wouldn’t legislate from the bench. After taking office he not only kept that promise but did not mince words when he thought others were ignoring the separation of powers between the three branches of state government. The people of our state could always rely on him to follow the constitution and put their rights first.

“No one can replace Justice Johnson in terms of experience and expertise. However, it should be possible for Governor Inslee to find a successor who also is unafraid to dissent – alone if necessary – and also is unwilling to commandeer the duties and authority of another branch of government. The Supreme Court will continue seeing cases related to taxes and spending and elections and property rights, and the people need someone in their corner the way Justice Johnson has been all these years. His voice of reason will be missed.”