Judge Michael Heavey has responded to the decision by the Commission on Judicial Conduct to admonish him for his comments regarding the Amanda Knox case. Heavey is currently out of the country but shared his statement with the West Seattle Herald. His attorney has filed an Answer to statement of charges which can be downloaded at the link above. This is Heavey's personal statement, and does not reflect the opinion of the court in any capacity.

Personal Statement of Michael Heavey*

It has been the distinct honor of my professional career to be a member of the judiciary. With the entry of this stipulation, I am pleased that the Commission on Judicial Conduct and I have been able to settle this matter which I am now happy to put behind me. I am very thankful for the support of my family, friends, and colleagues during this trying time.

The Commission's inquiry concerned actions that I took regarding Amanda Knox' case in the summer of 2008. As many of you know, Amanda Knox was a college student from Seattle accused of murdering another young woman in Perugia, Italy. In 2008, I learned a lot about Amanda Knox, the case against her, and the Italian judicial system. What I learned about the Amanda Knox case shocked me. What I learned led me to believe that what was happening was an absolute affront to Truth and Justice. I feared Amanda Knox was in grave danger of being convicted of the murder because of illegal and improper poisoning of public opinion and judicial opinion.

A year and a half later, Amanda Knox was in fact convicted and my fears were sadly realized.

As a husband, father, and member of this community, I believed that stepping forward regarding the injustices in Amanda Knox' case was both ethically and morally required.

But I also understand that it is inappropriate for a Judge to lend the prestige of judicial office to a private interest. To the extent that the actions I took regarding the Amanda Knox case were to her benefit and were enhanced by the fact of my judicial office, they were inappropriate and I regret and will not repeat them. It was never my conscious aim to lend the prestige of my office to a private interest. The opinions I expressed were mine alone, personally, and were not made in my judicial capacity or meant to reflect the opinions of the Court in any capacity.

John F. Kennedy said that a moral man does what he must, in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures. Though my efforts have not always been perfect, I have tried and will continue to try to do just that in all my future endeavors.

For additional comment, please contact: Cassandra L. Stamm
Law Offices of Cassandra Stamm, PLLC
800 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4100
Seattle, WA 98104
tel (206) 264-8586

email casey@seattlecriminalattorney.com

* This statement is the personal statement of Michael Heavey. It is not made in his judicial capacityand it does not reflect the opinion of the Court in any capacity.