Serving the Issaquah Municipal Court since 2007, Judge N. Scott Stewart was confirmed for another four-year term as the city’s only judge at the City Council’s Dec. 7 meeting.

Stewart was initially appointed as Court Commissioner in 2005 to fill in for Judge Peter Jarvis when he was unavailable. Stewart was then appointed and confirmed city judge when Jervis announced his retirement in 2007.

Issaquah’s municipal court was created in Sept. 2004 when the city was informed that King County would no longer provide municipal court services here. Since that time, the number of local infractions and misdemeanor cases have tripled. Local criminal filings have increased by 117 percent and traffic infraction filings (including the photo enforcement citations) have increased by 226 percent.

State law allows Issaquah’s municipal court judge to be appointed, rather than elected, because the judgeship is considered part-time by the city. Including salary and benefits, Stewart can expect approximately $80,000 for his work for the city court.

Stewart has served in the past as Court Commissioner for the City of Tukwila from 1995 to 1998 and as a pro tem judge in the cities of Des Moines, Renton, Kirkland, Mercer Island and the King County District Court. He has also worked as an Adjunct Professor in the Law and Justice Program at Central Washington University, Westside Campus since 1999.

Stewart is expected to serve a four-year term, set to expire on December 31, 2013.