Dan Satterberg

Dan Satterberg
Prosecuting Attorney of King County
In office
July 25, 2007 – January 8, 2023
Preceded byNorm Maleng
Succeeded byLeesa Manion
Personal details
Born
Daniel Todd Satterberg

1959 or 1960 (age 64–65)[1]
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (before 2018)
Democratic (2018–present)
Spouse
Linda Norman
​
(m. 1990)​
Children2
EducationUniversity of Washington (BA, JD)

Daniel Todd Satterberg is an American attorney and politician who served as the prosecuting attorney of King County, Washington from 2007 to 2023.

Early life and education

Born in Seattle, Satterberg graduated from Highline High School and the University of Washington.[2][1] He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law.

Career

Satterberg began work in the King County Prosecutor's office. There he spent four years as a trial attorney in the Criminal Division before serving as chief of staff to then-Prosecutor Norm Maleng from 1990 to 2007.[3]

In May 2007, King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng unexpectedly died of a heart attack. Because Maleng had been elected as a moderate Republican, his successor was nominated by the King County Republican Central Committee.[4] Satterberg was appointed by the King County Council to fill the position until a special election was held in November 2007. That November, Satterberg was elected to fill the remaining three years of Maleng's term. He subsequently won election as a Republican to a full four-year term in 2010.[5] In 2016, Satterberg successfully pushed for a voter approved amendment to King County Charter to make the office of Prosecutor nominally non-partisan.[6] Despite holding a non-partisan office, Satterberg made public in 2018 that his political views align with the Democratic Party.[7]

Since 2008, Satterberg has served on the State of Washington Sentencing Guidelines Commission under appointment by Governor Christine Gregoire.[8] He was the co-chairman, along with former Washington Attorney-General Rob McKenna, of the Washington Law Enforcement Group Against Identity Theft (LEGIT), a quasi-governmental organization that seeks to raise awareness about consumer data privacy issues in Washington.[9]

Satterberg decided not to bring charges against Officer Ian Birk [10] in the shooting of John T. Williams, a decision criticized by attorneys for the Williams family.[11]

In January 2022, Satterberg announced that he would not seek reelection when his current term expires.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Modie, Neil (May 29, 2007). "Satterberg to be acting prosecutor". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved July 15, 2019. He is a graduate of Highline High School in Burien, the University of Washington and the UW Law School.
  2. ^ Ervin, Keith (March 30, 2007). "Satterberg to fill Maleng's post". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  3. ^ "Biography Dan Satterberg King County Prosecuting Attorney". kingcounty.gov. King County. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "Satterberg to fill Maleng's post". The Seattle Times. May 30, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  5. ^ "Prosecutor's job attracts interest". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2011 – via nwsource.com.
  6. ^ Jenkins, Austin (April 15, 2016). "King County Prosecutor Wants To Make Office Non-Partisan". KUOW-FM. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  7. ^ "King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg says he's now a Democrat". The Seattle Times. May 29, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  8. ^ "Dec. 1: Prosecutor's Office News: December 2008". December 1, 2008. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014.
  9. ^ "Washington Seeks Tools to Fight Identity Thieves". Insurance Journal. October 24, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  10. ^ "No charges against Seattle officer who shot woodcarver". The Seattle Times. February 15, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  11. ^ "Woodcarver's family faults prosecutor for not filing charges". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. February 16, 2011. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  12. ^ Radil, Amy (January 7, 2022). "Longtime King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg won't seek reelection". KUOW. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
Legal offices
Preceded by Prosecuting Attorney of King County
2007–present 		Incumbent