Career
Maleng was born in Acme, Washington, and grew up on a dairy farm. Known as "Kim" during his youth and to those close to him throughout his life, he graduated from the University of Washington in 1960, then served as an officer in the military. He obtained his law degree in 1966 from the University of Washington Law School, was elected as Prosecutor in 1978, and was re-elected seven times.
Maleng was involved in a number of high-profile cases, most notably the 1983 Wah Mee Massacre, the 2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting committed by Naveed Afzal Haq, and the serial murders of Gary Ridgway, known as the Green River Killer.
He ran for the Republican nomination for Governor of Washington in 1988 and 1996. In 1992, he lost an election for Attorney General to Christine Gregoire.
Maleng is credited with bringing several large scale policy reforms to Washington State's Criminal Justice system including passage of the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act, tougher penalties for car thefts in 2007 and rethinking the prosecution of low level drug offenses by placing emphasis on treatment options after a first or second offense, rather than lengthy prison sentences.
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Famous quotes containing the word career:
“John Brown’s career for the last six weeks of his life was meteor-like, flashing through the darkness in which we live. I know of nothing so miraculous in our history.”
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