Edmond, WASHINGTON

James White, a criminal defense attorney and part-time Municipal Court judge pleaded guilty to accepting drug money.
HEADLINE: Two attorneys plead guilty, say retainer paid with drug cash

Also pleading guilty fellow attorney A. Mark Vanderveen. The money that they knew was drug money was intended to defend an accused drug dealer, delivered to them in a backpack.

The Seattle Times calls them "both respected attorneys." White ran for state Supreme Court in 2004 and was a former Edmonds city councilman from 1996 to 2001. Vanderveen is a former deputy prosecutor who "hears "cases as a judge pro-tem in Edmonds Municipal Court. " The Seattle Post-Intelligencer chose to headline the story, "Judge admits guilt in drug case" and was much more blunt:

Judge James L. White -- a former Edmonds city councilman and candidate for the state Supreme Court -- took the money this year from an accused drug kingpin who paid to retain his services as a defense attorney. Instead of giving the kingpin a receipt and depositing it in a bank, he hid it in his home, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Friedman.

White's bio when he ran for the Washington state Supreme Court includes his candidate statement and his promise not to legislate from the bench.