Justice Barbara A. Madsen of Washington State Supreme Court

6/13/2017

Justice Barbara A. Madsen
c/o Washington State Supreme Court
PO Box  40929
Olympia, WA  98504-0929 

Dear Justice Madsen,

My name is Matthew Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan with a strong interest in learning history, social justice including public policy.  In these subjects, I like to learn the need to advance on Civil Rights to help protect people who are different, have criminal justice reform to help protect victims from crime, and many others. Chief Justice Madsen, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work in the judicial system and when you served as Chief Justice of Washington State Supreme Court to be very inspiring to me.

When you served as Special Prosecutor in Seattle City Attorney’s Office, I liked on how you established City of Seattle Family Violence Project to help combat against child abuses, provide treatment programs to help children who are traumatized by the abuses, and expand services to find ways to help children have a safe home.  In your role as judge in Seattle Municipal Court, I was amazed on how you created Domestic Violence Coordinating Committee to find ways to make services including treatment programs to help assist victims of domestic violence, push for tough laws on people who commit domestic violence,  and have educational awareness about the need to combat against domestic violence.  When you served as Chief Justice of Washington State Supreme Court, I am very proud on how you use your judicial role to support advancing with protecting Civil Rights to help protect women, minorities, and people with disabilities from being discriminated in education, public places, and many others.  Also on Civil Rights, I like on how you advocate for people with disabilities’ rights, express the need to protect women’s rights from being weakened, and support the idea of reducing racial profiling to help protect minorities from being discriminated by the judicial system.  Also on the Washington State Supreme Court, I liked on how you established the Access to Justice Board, Minority and Justice Commission, Gender and Justice Commission,  and Commission on Children in Foster Care to find ways to improve the judicial system on helping educate people about how the judicial system works,  push for reform to combat against discrimination for minorities including women in the judicial system, have criminal justice reform like drug treatment programs to help drug-users get the care they needs so they won’t get addicted including push for DNA testing for cases to reduce setting an innocent person to jail,  won’t and many others.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights, be an advocate for people with disabilities’ rights, support women’s rights, and push for criminal justice reform to make the judicial system work for the people is common sense.

Justice Madsen, I have Autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased.  Another thing that I struggle with a disability is sometimes people use bigotry or prejudice on me based on a disability.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights and be an advocate for people with disabilities; rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Your work in the judicial system got me really interested in having an interest in learning about the criminal justice system, In Winter 2014, I took a class Intro To Criminal Justice at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, MI.  In Intro to Criminal Justice, I enjoyed learning about how the court system works, the procedures of law enforcement, different U.S. Supreme Court cases, different criminal justice terms, and the need for criminal justice reform.  Also your role in the judicial system and your current role as Chief Justice of Washington Supreme Court drives me to continue my interest in learning history including public policy.  My future goal is to someday work in history to help make learning of history a better tool for people to learn.

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference in the judicial system including your as Justice of Washington State Supreme Court. Justice Madsen, I’m very proud on how you work really hard to reform the judicial system and to be a strong supporter of Civil Rights including people with disabilities. You have inspired me to continue to work hard on my disability, take a criminal justice class, be motivated to continue my interest in learning history including public policy. I agree with you on the need to reform the judicial system to make it work for the people and society.  Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, pushing for common sense ideas in the judicial system, and inspiring me. I wish you well to continue to make a great difference.

Sincerely,

Matthew B. Winick