Who: Judge in the State of Washington, Pierce County Superior Court

What: Arend ruled to exclude the counting of 700 absentee ballots from traditionally Democratic King County during the 04 governors race in Washington State.

Detail: Dino Rossi, GOP candidate for governor in the close race, filed the request in her court in Pierce Co. rather than King Co. Both Rossi and Arend have ties to real estate development in Washington state. Rossi shopped for a judge that would rule in his favor, regardless of the law. She helped out her buddy and ruled she could not find a legitimate reason why the ballots should be counted. When Arend ran for Judge in 1999, the Washington Bar classified her as "minimally qualified", one step above "not qualified" to serve as Judge. Arend’s ruling was quickly overturned by a higher court, and the votes were hand-counted. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, won the race by just 130 votes out of 3 million cast.