# State Supreme Court candidate hits new lows

> Seattle's state Supreme Court candidate faces ethics violations and campaign missteps.
- Title: State Supreme Court candidate hits new lows · Seattletimes
- Summary: Seattle's state Supreme Court candidate faces ethics violations and campaign missteps. Seattle Times editorial urges voters to elect Sean O'Donnell over Ian…
- Keywords: seattle, state supreme court, sean o'donnell, ian birk, personal injury firms, tort reform, washington state court rules, news, local, State, Supreme, Court
- Source: Seattletimes — https://seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/watch-out-state-supreme-court-pos-4-candidate-hits-new-lows
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: seattle, state supreme court, sean o'donnell, ian birk, personal injury firms, tort reform, washington state court rules, news, local
## Campaign finances
Ian Birk's campaign coffers are flooded with contributions from lawyers and law firms that have made fortunes suing the state.
## State payouts
Washington paid out $614 million in claims and settlements last year with plaintiff law firms taking about 33% of payouts.
## Birk's contributions
Roughly 80% of Birk's total contributions come from personal injury firms, their attorneys and families.
## O'Donnell's contributions
Less than 1% of O'Donnell's contributions come from personal injury firms, their attorneys and families.
## Political smears
Birk falsely claims O'Donnell is a closet Republican and part of a MAGA effort to take over the Supreme Court.
## Campaign rules
Washington State Court Rules forbid judges from engaging in political activity inconsistent with judicial independence.
## Campaign impact
O'Donnell warned Birk's tactics risk turning judicial elections into a race of who's the prevailing party.
## Key takeaway

Seattle Times editorial urges voters to elect Sean O'Donnell over Ian Birk for state Supreme Court Position 4 due to Birk's ties to plaintiff law firms and false political claims.