Judge
Swanger is a third-generation resident of Clark County. He did
his undergraduate work at Brigham Young University, graduating
in 1976 with a BA in English. He received his law degree from
the College of Law at Willamette University in 1979. He served
as an Intern in the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney's office
from 1978-1979. He served as a Felony Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
from 1981-1984. In private practice from 1984-1998, Judge Swanger
had extensive experience in all types of criminal and civil matters.
He served as the primary pro-tem judge in District Court from
1990 through 1998, averaging one day per week on the bench during
that time period. Judge Swanger has also served as a
judge pro-tem in Superior Court and Battle Ground Municipal Court.
In January, 1999, he was appointed as the full-time Clark County
District Court Commissioner and was appointed judge in July, 2005.
Judge Swanger has established several programs to better serve the community and to improve the courts. These programs include the Fort Vancouver Student Traffic Court, Mitigation by Mail, Deferred Findings, and Small Claims Mediation. Additionally, he has been active in community education. The Washington Judges' Foundation presented him with the "2004 Judge William Nevins Award" in recognition of his distinguished service in public legal education and for displaying extraordinary dedication to the judicial branch of government. In 2005, the Washington State Bar Association presented the "Local Hero Award" to Judge Swanger in recognition of his 'distinguished service to the residents and legal community of Clark County, especially in the areas of court improvement and public legal education." He is one of five judges in the state team-teaching a "Street Law" class at a high school (Hudson's Bay, his alma mater). Judge Swanger served on the adjunct faculty at Clark College from 1994 through 2005, teaching six to eight law-related courses each year, and in 1999, was awarded the Business Division Teacher of the Year Award. For seven years, he served as the Paralegal Program Coordinator and Advisor. In 2003, he received the Clark County DUI Task Force's "Community Leadership Award." He has been involved in coaching and officiating youth sports since 1980, the local Red Cross Disaster Committee, Special Olympics, and the Meals Program at the Valley Homestead Shelter.
