On Tuesday, Jan. 19, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Camara Banfield to the Clark County Superior Court. She replaces Judge Bernard Veljacic, who was recently appointed to the Washington State Court of Appeals, Division II, according to a news release from the Governor's office.
According to the release, Banfield has served as a deputy criminal prosecutor with the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office since 2004, most recently serving as the office’s chief criminal deputy prosecutor. In this role, Banfield supervises the criminal division, manages its budget and shapes the office’s policies and procedures around criminal prosecutions. In 2020, Banfield co-founded the Action Reform Committee to review and reform practices and procedures within the prosecutor’s office in an effort to “confront racial inequities in the criminal justice system.”
According to the release, Banfield is also involved with the community and since July 2020 has served on the Vancouver School District Board of Directors. She also trains youth in track and field, mentors at-risk youth and volunteers in local Meals on Wheels programs.
“Whether as a prosecutor or as a resident of Clark County, Camara has committed herself to serving and improving her community,” Inslee said in the release. “I am eager to see her bring this same energy and passion to the bench.”
Banfield earned both her law degree and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon.
