District & Municipal Court Judiciary

Ron CosteckJudge Ronald A.M. Costeck, Presiding

Judge Costeck has been the presiding judge since June 1, 2024. After a lengthy selection process, he was unanimously appointed by Island County Commissioners Janet St. Clair, Melanie Bacon and Jill Johnson to fill the vacant position after a retirement. Judge Costeck came to the position with strong support from the legal community and law enforcement.  

For six years prior to his appointment as judge, he served as the Island County, City of Oak Harbor, Langley, and Coupeville District and Municipal Court commissioner. A commissioner has all the same “power, authority, and jurisdiction in criminal and civil matters as the appointed judge.”

Prior to taking the bench in Island County in 2018, Judge Costeck was in private practice. For 13 years, he served the Island County, Skagit County, and San Juan County communities in both the areas of civil and criminal law. In the early part of his career, he was a deputy prosecuting attorney for Grays Harbor and Skagit counties, in addition to for the City of Bellingham. Judge Costeck has also been an adjunct professor at the University of Temple, Penn., and taught classes at the Northwest Indian, Skagit and Whatcom colleges. He is a member of Oak Harbor Rotary and sits on both the Education and Therapeutic Court committees for Washington's District and Municipal Court Association (WDMCA).

Eric OhmeCommissioner Eric M. Ohme

After a thorough application and interview process, Judge Ronald Costeck selected Eric Ohme as Island County's new District and Municipal Court Commissioner. Commissioner Ohme was sworn into office on Nov. 27, 2024.   

Prior to his appointment, Ohme spent more than 21 years representing the State of Washington as an Island County deputy prosecuting attorney. This included 12 years as the chief criminal deputy. As a deputy prosecutor, Ohme handled a wide variety of cases, including complex and serious felony matters at the Superior and Appellate Court level. Prior to moving to Island County, Commissioner Ohme was an associate for a general practice firm in Tacoma representing clients in a broad range of legal matters. Commissioner Ohme obtained his Juris Doctoral from the University of Seattle.

Commissioner Ohme has a well-earned reputation for fairness and comes with strong support from the local attorneys and law enforcement.

Judge Pro Tempore

A Pro Tem is a short form for the Latin term pro tempore; temporarily or for the time being. In law, Judge Pro Tem normally refers to a judge who is sitting temporarily for another judge or to an attorney who has been appointed to serve as a judge as a substitute for a regular judge. A Pro Tem is appointed by the presiding judge.

MPherson picPro Tem Judge Molly McPherson

Molly McPherson is a longtime resident of Whidbey Island. In 1997, she founded the firm McPherson & McPherson, located in Coupeville, Wash.   

McPherson obtained her education in the Coupeville, Wash. school system and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington. She went on to graduate with a Juris Doctoral (Law) from Seattle University and an LL.M in Taxation from the University of Washington. She has been serving as a District Court Pro Tem Judge for more than a decade.

Terry SmithPro Tem Judge Terry Smith

Terry L. Smith Law is a local attorney who has been practicing law in Island County since 1997. Smith is a graduate of Purdue University and the University of the Pacific Law School.

Smith is well-known in the courtroom, having practiced for 27 years in the areas of Family Law, Estate Planning and Criminal Law, as well as other civil practice areas.  He brings to the courtroom a wealth of legal and real-world experience, having worked in construction, worked as a controller for a US Corporation, owned a local small business, practiced in federal and state public defenders' offices and managed a private law firm. Smith has been an Island County Pro-Tem Judge for nearly 15 years.  

Judge Pro-Tem Smith has fairly and even-handedly applied the law for all these years, and has been a faithful and diligent public servant.

Mari

Pro Tem Judge Mariko Doerner


Mariko K. Doerner is an attorney in private practice at the Law Office of Mari K. Doerner, serving Island and Skagit counties. The firm provides the community with legal services in the area of criminal, family and general civil law. 

Doerner has a long history of service to her community. She currently serves as a board member for the Skagit Valley College Board of Trustees and is the former chair and vice-chair of that board. She is also an active Rotarian. Doerner is a former board member of Summersun Montessori School; a former vice president and member of the Youthnet Board. Prior to that, Doerner served as the president and vice president of the Skagit County Bar Association and was an active volunteer for Skagit Legal Aid, which serves both Skagit and Island County. Mari was also a volunteer firefighter and EMT for Fire District 8. 

Doerner received her AAUCT degree at Skagit Valley College; her Bachelor of Science in political science, Western Washington University and her interdisciplinary degree in social justice and law, Fairhaven College (WWU). She received her juris doctor at the University of Idaho.

BrentThompsonPro Tem Judge Brent Thompson

Brent Thompson is a local attorney who grew up on Whidbey Island. He was admitted to practice law in Washington state in 2012 and immediately began working as an associate attorney for Platt & Buescher in Coupeville. 

Later, he was admitted into practice in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also became a member of the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (WACDL) and the Washington Defender Association (WDA). 

During his career, Thompson has worked on many serious cases, including a high-profile first-degree murder case that received national media attention, a complex international drug smuggling conspiracy case in federal court, and other homicide and felony assault cases, among other major felony matters, and has obtained a civil judgment against the federal government in federal court. Thompson has also provided passionate representation to those accused of misdemeanor offenses in courts of limited jurisdiction. He is now a named partner at Platt, Thompson & Buescher and was appointed as a Judge Pro Tem for Island County District Court in 2024.  

Thompson said he is honored to serve the community when called upon to preside over proceedings and is committed to being a neutral, detached, and fair judicial officer while on the bench.

IMG_1567Pro Tem Judge Justin Rylan Campbell

Justin Campbell has a successful law practice that has focused on criminal and DUI defense over the past 15 years, serving Island, Skagit, and San Juan counties. In addition to criminal law, Commissioner Campbell worked on a variety of civil matters, ranging from personal injury cases to probate administration. Campbell filled the position as Island County District Court Commissioner until the appointment of Commissioner Eric Ohme on Nov. 27, 2024. 

As a defense attorney, Campbell developed a reputation for being authentic, honest, and being able to handle complex cases. While in private practice, Campbell helped numerous individuals in Island County with a variety of cases and is honored to serve Island County as a Pro Tem Judge. He prides himself on being able to explain serious legal issues in a manner that is easy to understand and solves complicated problems. 

Throughout his career, Campbell has been supportive of and is respected by law enforcement, local prosecutors, and the local defense bar. Commissioner Campbell earned his Bachelor's of Science degree in accounting from Kansas State University, his J.D. from Washburn University School of Law, and his LL.M. (Masters of Law) degree in taxation from the University of Washington School of Law.